When Edward Met Bella
by Amethyst Jackson
Summary: For the Twilight 25 - my take on When Harry Met Sally with the Twilight characters.
1. One: Prelude

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: Prelude  
Pen name: Amethyst Jackson  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T this chapter, M later on

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

A/N: Thanks to Elizabethan for the beta!

* * *

**Chapter One: Prelude**

"In the beginning, we hated each other –"

"No, _you_ hated _me_. I had no problem with you."

"And then we became friends."

"We were friends for a long time –"

"– and then we weren't."

"And then we were lovers."

"It sounds simple, but… it's not."

* * *

Standing on Angela Weber's porch, surrounded by suitcases, I waited, and waited some more. Angela had been one of my first friends in Forks, and she was the nicest human being I knew, so I felt unable to refuse her kindness. Still, I wasn't looking forward to it.

For as long as I'd known Angela Weber, she'd been dating Edward Cullen. Because he was two years older than us, and therefore in college by the time I arrived in the middle of my junior year, I'd only seen him once or twice in passing. Angela was rarely willing to share the time she had with him. He took her to prom, of course, but I didn't attend either year. Dancing was hazardous to my health.

Angela and I had both graduated in June, and I had been accepted at Northwestern. I planned to major in English Literature. In a bizarre turn of events, Edward Cullen happened to be accepted for transfer to Northwestern as well. Evidently, he was some brilliant doctor in the making. Angela had thought it a fantastic idea for me to ride all the way to Illinois with Edward, who planned to drive there rather than fly. Driving there alone wasn't even an option for me; my truck probably wouldn't have made it out of Washington.

I accepted, because taking a plane would severely limit the amount of luggage I could carry with me, and I had a lot of books that wouldn't be cheap to ship to Illinois. My dad was okay with it because he knew the Cullens well; Edward's father was the best doctor in a hundred mile radius, according to Charlie. I'd said my goodbyes to him when he'd dropped me off at Angela's house some minutes ago.

Now, I was waiting outside on the porch while Angela and Edward attempted to swap enough spit to last them until they met again. Disgusting.

"Call me when you get there?" I heard Angela's voice asking from just inside the door.

"I'll call you from the road," Edward's deep voice promised. There was another pause, probably for more kissing. I let out a frustrated sigh and started tapping my foot against the wood beneath me.

"I'll miss you," Angela said.

"I'll miss you more, but we'll see each other in no time. Just a few months, and I'll be home for Thanksgiving."

"Right," Angela sighed. "Well, drive safe, and take care of Bella, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," he replied, and suddenly the front door opened with an enormous _creak_. Edward, tall and lean, emerged from the screen door, followed by Angela, who had obviously been crying. Instantly, I felt guilty for my impatience.

"Bella, I don't think you two have ever been introduced. Bella Swan, Edward Cullen," Angela said, gesturing between us as though suddenly possessed by a game show hostess.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Edward said, holding out his hand to shake. I took it, noting how it dwarfed my tiny hand. "Angela's told me a lot about you."

"Likewise," I said in answer to both, pulling my hand back when he relaxed his grip.

"I guess we should get on the road," Edward said. "We have a long drive ahead of us."

"Right," I agreed with a nod.

Edward took a sudden step forward, and I stumbled back in kneejerk reaction.

He chuckled, and I heard Angela laughing behind him. "I was just going to grab some of your bags, if that's all right with you?"

"Oh," I blushed. "Yeah, of course."

Edward picked up two of my suitcases, and the second one slid immediately from his fingers. "Christ, what's in this one?" he asked, hefting it into the air again. I was begrudgingly impressed when he made it all the way to the car without setting it down again.

"Um, books," I answered, following with my two lighter bags.

"Books?" he frowned, looking completely confused. "Well, at least it's not shoes."

I tossed my bags into the trunk with the ones he'd just loaded. "I need my books. I feel naked without them."

Strawberry lips pursed, evidently refraining from commenting, for which I was grateful. I hadn't really meant to make any references to nakedness, but I was always sticking my foot in my mouth.

Turning away from the trunk, I found Angela in tears again. Shooting a glance at Edward, I stepped forward and gave Angela a quick goodbye hug.

"I'll wait in the car," I said.

Neither of them paid much attention to me as I slid into the cushy leather passenger seat of the Volvo. That new car smell still lingered. To keep myself from watching out the side mirror, I flipped through the CDs I found in the glove box. The Beatles, the Sex Pistols, Jeff Buckley…Beethoven? _Random_.

"I'll see you at Thanksgiving," I heard, and suddenly, the driver's side door swung open and Edward's long body slid gracefully into the seat. His fingers twisted the key in the ignition and he rolled down his window.

"Goodbye," Angela said on a sigh, leaning in. "Take care of each other."

"Sure," I said with a smile, resolving to make an effort to be friends with Edward. If Angela saw something in him, after all, he had to be a nice guy.

"Good luck," she said, backing away, and Edward's hand curled around the gear shaft, shifting easily into reverse. Twirling the steering wheel, Edward swung us out of the driveway and onto the road. In silence, I watched what had become my home fly past the window, and soon, we were on open highway.

"Well…I guess we'd better find something to talk about, huh?" Edward said awkwardly.

"I guess," I agreed. We had a good thirty-six hours of road time ahead of us, basically a three-day trip, although Edward's crazy driving might cut down the travel time considerably.

"So…you're going to study literature?" he began, sparing me a quick glance from the road.

"Yup. And you're pre-med?"

"Yup."

Another uncomfortable minute passed.

"So, uh… what's with the random CD collection?"

Edward gave me more than a glance. "You've already been through my CDs?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Watch you and Angela make your heartfelt goodbyes?" I said defensively. "And really – who has the Sex Pistols and Beethoven right next to each other?"

Edward shrugged. "I do."

And that was how my first encounter with Edward Cullen began.


	2. Two: Collide

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: Collide  
Pen name: Amethyst Jackson  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T this chapter, M later on

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

A/N: Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading! For those of you who have never seen _When Harry Met Sally_, you might want to because it will tell you a lot of what is going to happen in this story.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Collide**

"So…how does it work?" I asked somewhere in eastern Washington.

"How does what work?" Edward replied as his brow crinkled into a rainbow of confusion. For all he knew, I was asking about quantum mechanics or cattle herding.

"You and Angela," I clarified. "I mean, you've committed to being away from her for at least two years. Is she really okay with that?"

Edward didn't answer right away. He was passing a slower driver on the road – probably going five over the speed limit, while Edward wanted to do twenty over – and I had to wait for the last click of the blinker before he gave me his attention.

"You're pretty direct, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "You're trapped with me for three days. I figure I may as well ask the tough questions. Besides, she's my friend. I have to look out for her, don't I?"

"Yeah, fair enough," he said with a hint of a smile. "I stayed in Washington as long as I did to be with her, hoping we could relocate when she went to college. But she decided to stay close to home, and I had to make a choice. To get into a great medical school, I need to go somewhere great for undergrad. Angela understands that."

"Hmm," I studied his tense jaw, sharp as a blade. "I don't think you really believe that. Basically, your career is more important than your relationship, and you and Angela both know it."

Edward's eyes flashed to mine, and just as I realized how green they were, it occurred to me that he was angry. My stomach twisted.

"If you must know, I wasn't the only one who put the relationship second to something else. Angela didn't tell you that she got into the University of Chicago, did she? She could have been on this trip with us, but she wanted to stay close to home. She had as much opportunity to choose our relationship as I did."

"Oh." I felt lower than scum. "Edward, I'm sorry, I –"

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand in my direction. "You couldn't have known. It's just that I've been keeping it all bottled up. Angela doesn't want anyone knowing she chose U-Dub over Chicago, so everyone's been looking at me like I'm the bad guy here. It's been rough, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

His eyes were locked on the road, so he didn't see me wringing my hands or biting my lip. "I shouldn't have pried," I said apologetically. "For what it's worth, I think it's admirable that you waited for her as long as you did."

The corner of his lips twitched, forming a little dimple. "Thanks."

* * *

We went through a drive-thru for lunch, but we stopped later that evening at an all-night diner in a Podunk little town.

A red-headed waitress approached us with two glasses of water, eyeing our careful non-contact in the booth. "What can I get for ya?"

"Ladies first," Edward said with a vague gesture, still studying the one-page laminated menu.

"I'll have the roast beef sandwich," I told the waitress, who wrote it down lazily on her little spiral pad. "I'd like the side salad as well, with French dressing."

"You should get the dressing on the side," Edward chimed in, finally setting the menu down.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I think I'm capable of ordering for myself, thanks."

Edward shrugged. "I'm just saying, you could end up with a completely drenched salad, and at some places, they dump on extra dressing so you don't see the state of the vegetables –"

"Can you please ask them not to drench the salad?" I asked the waitress, sighing.

"Sure." She chewed the end of her pen and shot an unimpressed look at Edward. "And what'll you have?"

"The same, but with Italian dressing, please, and put it on the side," Edward said decisively.

The waitress walked away without another word, evidently fed up with Edward's insanity.

"Are you always that high maintenance?" I asked, vinyl crackling as I leaned back in the booth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Edward replied, one eyebrow arching smoothly. "I just know what I want and how I want it."

I took a sip of water. "Okay, but did you really have to impose what you wanted on my salad?"

Edward shrugged, smiling easily. "I was only trying to help. Nobody likes spoiled vegetables."

"Er, thanks?"

"No problem."

We were quiet, waiting for our food to come. Edward busied himself organizing the sweetener packets at the table. I stared out the window at the cars flying by on the highway, little more than flashes of headlights.

"Two salads," the waitress announced, breaking us both out of our stupor. I looked down at the bowl in front of me. The dressing was in a little plastic container to the side, for both of our salads. I snickered. Apparently, the waitress had decided not to risk Edward's wrath again.

"Do you see what you've done?" I said, gesturing at the plastic cup. "Now I couldn't have my dressing pre-applied, even if I wanted to."

"You'll thank me one day," Edward said with a self-assured smirk. We dug into our salads, not speaking again until the waitress came to clear the bowls away.

"So, Bella… you've interrogated me about my love life. What about you? Anyone going to be pining away for you back in Washington?"

"Not that I know of," I shrugged. I looked hopefully to the counter where orders appeared, hoping to see our food, which would again dampen conversation.

"No boyfriend?" He seemed surprised, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. I wanted to remind him it was bad manners, but he was sort of cute doing it.

"Nope."

"Why not?" he pressed. His eyes watched me intensely, like a lion or a hawk on the hunt.

I shrugged. "I've never met a guy I wanted to be more than friends with. Why complicate things?"

Edward laughed, loudly enough to draw the attention of the man reading a newspaper in the booth behind him. "Men and women can't be friends. It never works."

"Why not?" I was offended. Most of my friends were male.

"The sex thing _always_ gets in the way," Edward said, and with impeccable timing, the waitress chose that moment to deliver our meals. She shot Edward a look before retreating again, probably to more sane customers.

"What sex thing?" I picked up my fork, torn between digging into my food and poking Edward with it.

"Well, when you're friends with someone of the opposite sex, one person usually wants to have sex with the other one. Let me guess. You have tons of guy friends and think everything is fine and dandy, right?"

"Right," I answered reluctantly, certain that he was going to use it against me. And I was correct.

"Yeah, women always think that. When the truth is, guys become friends with women because they're hoping someday they'll get laid."

"What if _I_ don't want to have sex with _them_?" I scowled.

"Doesn't matter. Once it's there, it's there. Nothing to be done about it. He'll always be trying to please you, hoping to get between your –"

"Gross, Cullen," I winced. "Well, what if the guy isn't attracted to the girl? Can't they be friends, then? Or what if he's already with someone?" I added pointedly.

Edward swallowed a huge bite of roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes. "None of it matters. There's always something that's getting in the way. Trust me."

"Hmmph."

We finished our meal in silence.

Once we'd paid and left, we piled back into the car.

"I figure we should stop here for the night," Edward said. "It's already late, and who knows how far the next town is."

I shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

Edward drove toward the one motel we'd passed on the way to the diner. He slid into a parking space in front of the main lobby and we both went reluctantly inside. The place looked like a bad amusement park's version of a log cabin, and I had a feeling it'd been in place since the fifties or so. The paint didn't appear to have been touched up anywhere since 1953, at least.

"This place had better be clean," Edward said with a grimace as he opened the doors.

I rolled my eyes and strolled past the door he held for me. "I hope you're never stranded in the wilderness. You'd never make it."

"Of course I would," he said, affronted. "I'll have you know I'm quite the adept camper. I just –" He shot a glance at the woman behind the rustic counter and lowered his voice, "I just don't care for bedbugs, thank you."

"Uh-huh." I moved forward to the counter, styled along the same lines as the rest of the place, decorated only with an old telephone and an even older guestbook.

The woman at the counter stared at us through glazed blue eyes, smacking her gum and flipping through a gossip rag.

"Do you have two rooms available?"

"Nope, just one," the woman replied.

"I don't suppose the one room available has two beds?" Edward asked, leaning his arms on the counter. A sideways glance revealed a charming smile, and I realized he was trying to schmooze the woman.

"Sorry, it's a double bed," she said, actually sounding sorry this time.

Edward grimaced and glanced at me. "Er, do you know where the next closest motel is?"

"'Bout a hundred miles down the highway," she replied.

"Damn," Edward muttered, turning to me. "What do you –"

"We'll take the room," I sighed. "How much?"

Edward stood, stupefied, as I paid for the room and received two keys from the woman behind the desk. Only when we were back outside did he speak.

"Look, I'll sleep in the car. It's not a big deal. If I could just use the bathroom –"

"I'm not going to make you sleep in the car," I said, trying to imagine him contorting his long frame into a comfortable position in the Volvo. Didn't seem likely. "Sharing a bed for one night shouldn't be a problem, right? I mean, it's not like we're attracted to each other or anything."

"We're not?" Edward said as we slid back into the car to park in front of our room.

"Oh, please. You don't want to have sex with _me_."

"And you don't want to have sex with me?" he asked, looking a little hurt.

"Um, no, not really." I felt a little twinge in my chest as I said it, and I knew I was lying, if only for a small part of my brain.

"Well, all right, then." He parked the car again and slid out. We grabbed our overnight bags. "Lead the way, Madame."

The motel room was, unfortunately, in the rustic décor, like everything else. An army green blanket covered a small – was that really a double? – bed, and on either side sat wooden end tables. Each table had a lamp with a plastic duck as its base. I wanted to turn and run the other way.

"Lovely," Edward mumbled, eyeing the bed with distaste. "You want the bathroom first?"

"Okay." I took my overnight bag into the bathroom and hopped into the shower, which, although a bit dingy, was heavenly after a long day in the car. After dressing, drying my hair with the outdated appliance in the tiny bathroom and brushing my teeth, I was faced with the ordeal of leaving the bathroom. Leaving the bathroom meant Edward seeing me in my pajamas, which I had packed thinking no one else would see them. The shorts and holey T-shirt were hardly my best look…and some of the holes in the T-shirt were rather inconvenient.

Sucking in a breath, I flung open the door and stepped out. Edward glanced up from the fuzzy TV screen and did a double take.

"Nice," he commented. I noticed his eyes were glued to the tear just over my right breast, and I let out a huff.

"Your turn."

Edward laughed and hopped off the bed. "All right, I can take a hint."

While he busied himself in the bathroom, I hurried into the bed, getting as far to one side as possible and pulling the covers up to my chin. For all the shabbiness, everything appeared to be clean enough, which was a relief. Tonight would be bad enough without mysterious stains or conspicuous itches.

I was half-asleep when Edward emerged from the bathroom, but my eyes snapped open when I got a glimpse of him.

Edward wasn't wearing anything but a pair of black cotton boxers. And damn, but he was in good shape.

He caught me staring. "Sorry, I don't wear pajamas…."

"You don't even have a T-shirt you could put on?" I complained. It didn't qualify as a request, evidently, because he was already pulling the covers back to get into the bed next to me.

"Nothing that would be remotely comfortable to sleep in. What's the matter? You're not attracted to me anyway, right?"

"Right," I grumbled, caught in his trap. I'd let him sleep naked before I gave him the satisfaction of letting him know how good-looking he was. Maybe...

Edward flipped off his lamp and then the TV. We lay there in the dark, unmoving. I resisted the urge to look over at him.

"You don't even want to snuggle a little?" Edward said, a smirk in his voice.

"You're insufferable," I huffed, rolling onto my side so that my back was to him.

"You're funny when you're flustered," he chuckled.

It was a long night.

* * *

When I woke in the morning, I was lying on my back, and Edward was next to me on his stomach. The main problem was, his arm was thrown over my body, and his hand had landed precisely on my left breast.

_Typical man._

I gingerly picked up his arm and escaped to the bathroom. When I reemerged, Edward was sitting up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Morning," he yawned. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Edward did his level best to irritate me to death, but we didn't have to share a room the next night, and we only had a repeat of our first night's conversation when we were outside my dorm room at Northwestern.

"So men and women can't be friends, huh?" I said, leaning against my new door jamb. Edward had been kind enough, at least, to help me carry my overloaded suitcases up the stairs.

"It never works out, I promise you," he said with a wry smile. For some reason, my heart sunk.

"That's a shame," I sighed. "You were the only person I knew at Northwestern."

"You'll be fine," Edward said, backing away. "Good luck, Bella."

"Bye, Edward," I called after his retreating form. "Thanks for the ride."

His response was only a wave.


	3. Three: Taut

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Taut  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** T this chapter, M later on

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

This is for Mariana, aka Ms. Pollito. Happy Birthday! Age ain't nothing but a number, baby!

* * *

**Chapter Three: Taut**

_Seven years later_

O'Hare was chaos, as usual, as I sprinted to make my flight to my interview in New York City. My fiancé had done her level best to make me late today, from asking me to walk her Chihuahua before I left – couldn't he just run a few laps around the backyard? – to ruining my one unpacked, decent pair of pants by trying to iron them. Tanya wasn't the most domestically gifted woman in the world, but she insisted upon trying, for some reason.

I was breezing right up to the boarding line at the gate when a sight out the corner of my eye made me pause and double back.

He was currently attached by the lips to a petite brunette, but I was pretty certain I recognized that profile. He'd been a couple years ahead of me in med school and had been a TA for a couple of my undergrad courses.

"Peter?"

The couple peeled themselves apart, and I realized I recognized both faces. Bella Swan. I'd seen her once or twice at Northwestern, but never spent any really time with her after our surreal, three-day drive to Illinois. Still, she'd stuck in my memory.

"Edward Cullen!" Peter exclaimed. "It's been too long, man. Have you started your residency yet?"

"Not yet. Headed to New York for an interview. Have you finished yet?"

He laughed darkly. "Not quite, still paying my dues. This should be the last year."

"Well, congrats on making it through."

"Thanks. Good luck on your interview."

"Thanks," I nodded, glancing at Bella. She was looking at the floor, and my stomach dropped when I considered that she hadn't even recognized me, though she'd haunted my thoughts for seven years now.

"Well, I'll see you around," I finally said, turning back to the line at the gate.

* * *

"Thank God he didn't recognize me," I sighed, relaxing against Peter.

"You know him?" I heard the edge of suspicion in his voice.

"We were from the same part of Washington. We drove to Northwestern together after I graduated; he was dating…damn, what was her name? She was my best friend in Washington, and I can't remember her name now."

Peter's dark eyebrows crinkled inward. "You drove with him from Washington to Illinois? Alone?"

"Yes, and it was the longest three days of my life," I sighed, remembering. "He was so _obnoxious_! We even had to share a motel room the first night; it was horrible."

Peter's blue eyes bulged, and I realized I probably should have elaborated more. "What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing," I said. "He just said that – _Angela Weber_, that was her name. Oh, what a relief."

"Wait, what did he say?" Peter prodded.

"He said that men and women can't be friends. Do you think that's true?"

"No," Peter said slowly, after a moment's hesitation.

"Well, do you have any women friends?" I asked, desperate to be vindicated, even after seven years.

"Well…no. But I could find some, if you like," he offered helplessly.

I chuckled. "No need. I guess I'd better get going. See you when I get back," I said, leaning up to give him one last peck on the lips. I turned and headed for the severely diminished boarding line.

"I'll miss you," Peter called after me. I shot a smile at him over my shoulder before turning my attention to the airline employee taking tickets.

* * *

Bella Swan sat a row ahead of me on the plane. From all appearances, she hadn't noticed me. I was trying to think of a good way to get her attention when the flight attendant rolled up beside me with a metal cart.

"Anything to drink?" she asked while passing me a package of "snack mix" that I probably wouldn't touch.

"Just water, please – but wait," I said as she turned too quickly to comply with my request. "Only fill the cup halfway with ice, please, and I'd like a slice of lemon with that if you have it, but only if it's fresh."

The attendant turned away without a word, a reaction to which I was accustomed.

"I see you haven't loosened up any," I heard a feminine voice say, and I looked up to see Bella Swan peeking through the gap in the seats in front of me.

"Nice to see you, too, Bella," I grinned, enjoying, as always, the flush across her cheeks and the way her eyes narrowed when I irritated her. The flight attendant handed me my water, and I took it distractedly.

"So you _did_ recognize me," Bella huffed.

"After that memorable night in the motel, how could I ever forget you?" I replied. The man sitting next to Bella turned his head sharply, overhearing, and Bella twisted to explain to him.

"We drove to college together…we had to share a motel room one night. It wasn't like _that_."

It was hard to tell from where I sat, but I thought Bella's neighbor looked skeptical. "Would you two like to sit together?" he asked.

"No, that's –" Bella began to say.

"Sure!" I cut in. I switched seats easily with the man and turned to Bella, who received me with a look of disdain. I could feel the tension in her body beside me, mirroring the emotion this woman always evoked in me. I felt taut like a thread wrapped around her finger.

"As persistent as ever," she complained, ignoring me in favor of her soda.

"So how long have you been with Peter?" I asked, curious as to how she would have met him when they were so far apart in age.

"About a month," she said succinctly, evidently not up for sharing. "I met him when I had to go to the hospital for stitches a while ago."

"Hmm. You're not his usual type," I commented, thinking about the parade of blondes he'd boasted about years ago.

Bella scowled. "What's that supposed to mean? How would you even know?"

I shrugged. "We went to med school together. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just making an observation."

"Hmmph." I chuckled, recognizing it as a sign of defeat. "Whatever happened with you and Angela, anyway?"

"You don't talk with her anymore?" I asked, a little saddened by the thought.

"No, not really," Bella said sheepishly.

"Oh, well, she dumped me for Ben Cheney a few months after we left Washington."

Bella shot me a perplexed look. "Ben Cheney? The short kid that ran the school paper?"

"None other," I said, smirking at her description.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry, Edward," she said, and she looked like she meant it.

"No need," I shrugged. "It was a long time ago. I'm actually engaged now."

"Oh, well, congratulations. Who is she?" I heard the slight insult buried in her tone – _who would marry you?_

"Her name is Tanya Jacobs; she's a nurse."

"A very medical marriage."

"Indeed."

* * *

The flight from Chicago to New York was short, and Bella seemed happy to escape from me, but we had to follow the same route to the baggage claim.

"Are you staying over in New York tonight? Would you like to have dinner?" I asked, catching up to her on the moving sidewalk. To myself alone, I could admit that I liked Bella, and that I wanted to spend more time with her before she stepped out of my life again. Nothing could come of it, of course. I was engaged, and she had a boyfriend, but surely one dinner wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I thought men and women couldn't be friends?" she replied, tossing my words back at me as though I'd said them yesterday rather than seven years ago.

"Unless they're both involved with other people. An exception to the rule."

"Until the suspicion starts, and then the jealousy sets in, and before you know it, you're having an affair with this other person that you didn't even know about," Bella said.

"Is that a no?" I asked sadly.

Bella sighed and formed a semi-genuine smile. "I think this is goodbye again, Edward."

"Goodbye, Bella."

This time, I was the one watching her walk away. I didn't care for it.

* * *

**A/N:** For those who have been asking, no, this will not follow the film exactly. It's going to go however it needs to in order to keep these two relatively in-character.

Before you ask, yes, I'm still working on Bonne Foi. And if you're interested, A Madman's Mercy should update on Tuesday.

And thanks for reading. ^_^


	4. Four: Apathy

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: Apathy  
Pen name: Amethyst Jackson  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T this chapter, M later on

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

A/N: Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Apathy**

_Two years later_

"…So I was in his office, and I saw a credit card bill with a five hundred dollar charge for designer lingerie for his wife. He's never going to leave her, is he?"

My best friend Alice had been hopelessly infatuated with her boss, the architect Garrett Byrne, ever since she'd started working at his firm two years ago. Unfortunately, at least for Alice, Garrett was completely in love with his wife and completely oblivious to Alice.

"Of course he's never going to leave her," our friend Rosalie said with an exaggerated eye roll. "He married her. That's the point."

"Yeah, but who actually stays together these days, married or not?" Alice grumbled, sipping her tea. We were waiting for our food to arrive at our weekly girls' lunch. I looked down at my empty place setting, trying not to show my discomfort.

The waiter saved me from the awkwardness, coming to take our orders. When he left, Rosalie picked up right where we'd left off.

"Emmett and I are still married," Rosalie said pointedly. "And Bella is still with Peter."

"Actually," I spoke up reluctantly, "Peter and I broke up."

Phrases like _broke up_ never did the situation justice. _Broke up_ didn't even begin to describe the wreckage. I was still shaken from our fight two nights ago. Peter's rant about his desire for more – marriage, children, more of my time – had come out of the blue, and he'd hardly given me opportunity to respond. Yesterday, he'd moved all his things out of the apartment. Now the place was too empty, and I was completely shell-shocked.

"Oh, no!" Alice exclaimed, while Rose made a sympathetic noise. "Sweetie, what happened?"

I shrugged, keeping my armor up. Alice and Rosalie were my best friends, and eventually, I might tell them everything, but right now, I was too raw. "We wanted different things. It happens."

"But you _had_ someone," Alice said, looking more distraught than I was at the moment. "You had someone to go places with, to be with on holidays…"

I didn't really want to think about that at the moment. "Look, we've been growing apart for quite some time, and now that I've had a few days to get used to it, I'm fine. Really."

"Great!" Alice squealed, pulling out her Blackberry. "Let's see…"

"Alice, what are you doing?" Rose asked tiredly. Alice's enthusiasm was exhausting before it even got started.

"Finding someone new to fix Bella up with!"

"Alice –"

"What? You said you're fine. So it's time to get back out there. You're going to be thirty, you know."

"In three years!" Rose interjected in my defense.

Alice waved her off. "Considering the time it takes to meet, fall in love, get engaged, and plan a wedding, she doesn't have any time to waste. Ooh, I've got one. Felix Adler!" She waved her phone at me.

"Eww, Alice, you set me up with him three years ago. He took me to a pro-wrestling match, remember?" I cringed. That was still one of the top ten weirdest nights of my life.

"Oh. Hmm. Demetri Kowalski?"

"Alice, he's been married for a year!" Rose groaned.

"Oh, huh." Her fingers started flying over her Blackberry, probably making a note of what Rose had told her, or deleting the contact entirely.

"Look, Alice," I sighed heavily. "It's not that I don't appreciate your concern, but I still need a little time. I'm…in a mourning period."

"All right, honey, but don't wait too long," Alice said with pursed lips. "The good ones go fast."

* * *

"_Touchdown, Bears!_" The overexcited announcer was grating on my nerves, but I feigned celebration anyway. Two weeks ago, I would have been completely absorbed in the game. Now, I couldn't care less.

"What's with you today, man?" Jasper asked, nudging me. The cheering was dying down now, and we were slumped back down in the hard plastic seats.

I heaved a sigh. "Tanya's leaving me."

"_What?_"

I shrugged, nursing my beer. It was my third of the game. "She told me she wanted a divorce."

"When? _Why?_"

"When I got home from work on Friday. She'd already packed – the movers were even there." I laughed humorlessly at the ridiculousness of it all. "She said she wanted to take some time apart, but that we could still date. Like I want to date my own wife! She promised to love me no matter what; why would we need to date again? So I asked her, 'Don't you love me anymore?' And do you know what she said to me? She said, 'I don't know if I ever loved you.'"

"That's harsh," Jasper hissed sympathetically.

I just nodded glumly. It had sure as hell stung when she said it, in front of three of the moving men, all watching the scene with mixed humor and pity.

"No, man, I'm a writer; I know dialogue, and that is _particularly_ harsh."

I turned to him disbelievingly. "Jasper, you write history textbooks. There is no dialogue."

He shrugged as if that were irrelevant, and in a way, it was. Pretty much nothing felt relevant when my life was falling apart.

"Anyway, that's not even the worst part," I went on, reluctant to admit my humiliation, but desperately needing to get it off my chest.

"How could it possibly get _worse_?"

"It's all a lie," I admitted, looking away from Jasper to the men running around on the field. I had no idea what was going on in the game anymore and didn't care. "I overheard a couple of pediatric nurses talking about it. She's cheating on me with a lab technician. Jacob Black."

"Wait…" Jasper frowned, holding up a hand to silence me. "Tanya _Jacobs_ is banging a guy named…Jacob?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "It's that bad. And it just figures, I went down to the lab the other day to scope the guy out, and he's huge. Like, ingesting steroids huge."

"Man…that's rough. But look on the bright side. If he is on steroids, his balls will be all shriveled up."

"Oh, yeah. That makes me feel _loads_ better."

Jasper's hand clapped down on my shoulder. "Look, man, I know it's hard now, but they say infidelity is never the real problem. It's just a symptom of a larger issue."

I snorted, shooting him a glare. "Yeah, and that symptom is screwing my wife."

"You're better off without her," Jasper said, shaking his head. "Best thing you can do now is just get back on the horse. Find someone new. Don't let her win."

"Yeah," I agreed half-heartedly. After what Tanya had put me through, I didn't feel like dating ever again.

* * *

To be continued!


	5. Five: Comfort

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: Comfort  
Pen name: Amethyst Jackson  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T this chapter, M later on

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

A/N: Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

Dedicating this chapter to LyricalKris, my own personal Tanya, who I punished unnecessarily last chapter. I still love you! Like a sister, of course. ;-D

* * *

**Chapter Five: Comfort**

Shopping for books with Alice was terrible. I don't know why I ever let her tag along. Right now, she was having the time of her life, giggling at the titles in the erotica section. A safe distance away, I held open a very plainly marked copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, hoping no one would associate me with the psychopath waving around _Menage-a-Wow_.

"Speaking of French things, I heard Garrett booked a three-week romantic getaway in Paris with his wife." She let out a sad sigh. "I don't think he's ever going to leave her."

"Alice, _no one_ thinks he's ever going to leave her," I pointed out without even looking at her, not for the first time, and probably not for the last. I tried to focus on Mr. Darcy to drown her out.

"Hey, Bella!" I winced. Alice had never learned the fine art of volume control, and now half the store was looking over at us.

"What?" I hissed, glad to see upon looking up that she wasn't holding any racy volumes.

"That hottie with the body over there in Self-Help is checking you out."

Normally, a guy standing in the self-help section would have been an automatic _no thanks_ for me, but if he really was a 'hottie'…. I peeked over the spine of my book in that direction, meeting a familiar pair of green eyes just before they darted away, nervous at being caught.

"I know him," I admitted, lowering my book slightly. Edward flipped randomly through a book, and I knew he wasn't paying attention to what he'd picked up, or he'd realize he was holding _How to Land Mr. Right_. I could see why he'd caught Alice's attention. In a pair of sea-foam green scrubs, with his hair in its usual disarray, he didn't say "Dr. McDreamy" or even "Dr. McSteamy." It was more like "Dr. McFuckMe."

"Are you shitting me?" Alice hissed, tugging on my arm. "Why aren't you going over there? This is a golden opportunity!"

"For one, Alice, he's married," I said, knowing that wouldn't break through her marriage-is-just-a-piece-of-paper mentality. "Besides, he probably doesn't even remember me."

"Bella? Bella Swan?"

I was so startled, I dropped my book. Edward bent down to pick it up, and I glared at Alice when I realized she was blatantly ogling his ass.

"Hi, Edward," I said with a tentative smile as he handed the book out to me. "Uh, this is my friend Alice –" I turned toward Alice to introduce her and realized she wasn't even there. A look around found her already halfway out the main door. "That _was_ my friend Alice."

Edward chuckled. "Is she shy or something?"

"No…just conniving," I grumbled.

"So…how are you?" Edward asked. "How is Peter?"

"Oh, um…I'm fine," I answered awkwardly. "I wouldn't know about Peter. We actually just broke up."

"I'm sorry," Edward winced. "That's too bad."

I shrugged. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm good," he said unconvincingly. "You know, business as usual."

"How is married life treating you?" I asked, trying to be polite. I didn't really feel like hearing about how happy and fulfilled he was, but it wasn't his fault Peter had broken my heart.

"Um, not so good," Edward said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm getting a divorce."

"Oh…I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," I said earnestly. Now I could be generous, knowing we were in the same miserable boat.

"Would you like to have lunch, by chance?" Edward asked hopefully. "Catch up with one another?"

"Okay," I agreed, smiling in spite of myself, "but only if you promise not to interfere with my salad dressing."

* * *

"You know, in the beginning, Peter and I were on the same page," Bella said, picking a roll to pieces. "We decided to live together, but not get married because neither of us was big on marriage. I mean, we both had divorced parents. My mother's been drilling into my head all my life not to rush into marriage, to take my time.

"And then one day, out of the blue, Peter comes home and tells me he's ready to get married and have kids, like we could just do all that overnight or something. I told him I wasn't ready for that, and the next day, he was gone."

Bella shook her head, lips pursed. I wanted to reach across the table and take her hand, any little gesture to comfort her, but I wasn't sure I had that kind of place in her life.

"It's not like I wouldn't have wanted those things one day," Bella went on. "I liked our life, though. I was happy. So why wasn't it enough for him?"

If I'd been a more sentimental person, I might have recited some platitude about how time heals all wounds or that it would all turn out for the best…but I'd heard enough of those lately, and they weren't my style, either.

"My wife is leaving me for a lab technician," I said, settling for simple honesty. Bella finally lifted her sad eyes to mine. "I keep wondering if it was my fault. Maybe if I hadn't been working such long hours, maybe if I'd had more time to spend with her, she wouldn't have gone looking elsewhere. But then I really think about it, and even when we were actually together, she was always distant. Always on guard. What eats me up inside is that I'll never know: was it her, or was it me?"

"Edward?" Bella said seriously. "It was her."

* * *

"At least I got the apartment," I said as we walked along the lake.

"Everyone always says that to me, but I don't find it comforting," Bella complained. "I mean, how hard is it to find an apartment?"

I cracked a genuine smile; those were so rare these days, but Bella brought out something different in me. Her candor was refreshing next to all the people trying to tell me it would be okay.

"Bella? Would you like to do this again sometime?"

She stopped in her tracks, quirking an eyebrow at me. The corner of her lip twitched upward. "Are we becoming friends?"

"I guess we are," I said, watching her reaction.

"So what's the statute of limitations on I-told-you-so's?" Bella asked with a smug smirk.

"Hmm," I pretended to consider, "ten years."

"Oh, good! I can just get it in. I told you so, I told you so," Bella sang, doing a bizarre little dance on the sidewalk that garnered more than a few stares.

"All right, all right," I grumbled. "I think I liked you better when you disagreed with everything I said."

"I did not!"

"Ah," I sighed, "there's the Bella I know and love."

"You're obnoxious," she said matter-of-factly.

I grinned. "You're still funny when you're annoyed with me."

"Maybe men and women can't be friends after all," Bella frowned. "I'm not sure I'll be able to put up with you."

"We'll be fine. I mean, it's not like we find each other attractive or anything, right?"

Bella narrowed her eyes at me. "How long are you going to use that against me?"

"I'm thinking forever."

* * *

**A/N:** I'll say it again: yes, I am still working on Bonne Foi. I'm just on a roll with this one.

The chapters will get longer toward the end, I think, but right now, I'm following through a lot of the movie's short scenes, so…short chapters.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for reviewing.


	6. Six: Morose

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
Prompt: Morose  
Pen name: Amethyst Jackson  
Pairing: Edward/Bella  
Rating: T this chapter, M later on

Disclaimer: Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

A/N: Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Six: Morose**

I was huddled in a blanket on the couch, battling my insomnia with infomercials when my cell phone beeped a text message alert.

_From: Edward_

_Received: 2:23 AM_

_Are you awake? Call me if you are._

I smiled, realizing I wasn't the only one unable to sleep tonight, and punched in the number on my speed dial. I'd needed someone to replace Peter as the first contact, and giving Edward the spot was easier than rearranging the whole thing.

"Hi," Edward answered right away. He sounded relieved.

"Edward? What's wrong?" I asked, a little worried once I heard the tone of his voice.

"Nothing, nothing, just…a rough night. I'm at a 24-hour mart buying comfort food. Are you going to be awake much longer?"

"Probably…" I said slowly. "Sleep is nowhere in sight. Why?"

"I was hoping I could come over," he admitted. "Feel free to tell me to shut up and go home. I just –"

"No, come over," I interrupted, surprising myself with my eagerness. "I could use the company."

"Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Edward and I had spent a great deal of time together in the three weeks since we'd run into each other in the bookstore. Several evenings, I'd made dinner for Edward after he'd worked long shifts, and I'd dragged him to a movie I couldn't convince Alice or Rosalie to see with me. It was nice, having a man in my life with whom I could just be myself. My friendship with Edward was easy and uncomplicated, and it was exactly what I needed after Peter.

Twelve minutes later, Edward rapped on my door. I scurried up, tripping on my blanket, to let him inside.

He stood in the hallway in a grey hoodie and plaid pajama pants, holding a plastic grocery sack. I had to laugh at him.

"I can't believe you left the house like that."

Edward scowled. "Hello to you, too," he said, breezing past me without being invited. "As if your PJs are much better. Hello Kitty?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, realizing belatedly that I wasn't wearing a bra. Oh well. He'd seen me in my holey T-shirt, after all. Damn, I missed that shirt. It had perished in one of Alice's manic closet clean-outs.

"I'll have you know my dad bought these for me for Christmas four years ago, and they're ridiculously comfy," I said defensively.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in pink," he smirked. "Can I use your kitchen?"

"Sure," I said, ignoring his comment and waving him toward the small kitchen – more like a kitchenette, really. I'd hoped for a bigger kitchen, but Peter had loved this apartment, so I'd compromised. Now I was seriously considering moving; I couldn't handle all the reminders.

"What'd you get?" I asked Edward to distract myself, trying to peer into the bag he'd set on my counter.

"Ah-ah-ah," Edward chided, pulling the bag to his chest. "Let me show you."

I waited with a raised eyebrow while he presented, in Vanna White fashion, a box of instant cocoa mix, a bag of mini-marshmallows, and two tubes of cookie dough.

"Cookie dough? Really? You know, that's pretty girly, Cullen."

Edward glared. "Well, if that's how you feel, I can just keep yours for myself."

"No!" I cried, lunging forward and snatching it from his hand. "You can't wave cookie dough in my face and then take it away. Honestly, though, I'm surprised you'd consent to eating cookie dough out of a package. I'm surprised you don't want it hand-mixed."

Edward pursed his lips. "It's better that way, of course, but it's nearly three in the morning. I'm not about to put forth that much effort."

I chose to ignore the implication that he would, under normal circumstances, mix his own cookie dough just to eat it. And I also chose not to tease him for being a complete and total woman.

"You want some cocoa?" Edward asked, already rooting through the cabinet above the sink for two mugs. It was sort of startling that he already knew my apartment well enough to find the mugs on the first try, and also sort of startling that my eyes were drawn to the skin of his back as his hoodie rose up. It was a timely reminder that Edward was, at least in the physical sense, all man.

"Yeah, I'll have some," I said, suddenly rather dry in the throat.

Edward sat the mugs on the counter and turned toward my fridge. "Can I use your milk? It's better if you make it with milk."

"Please," I agreed, for once concurring with Edward's pickiness; hot cocoa was infinitely better with milk instead of water.

Edward placed the milk next to the mugs like he was about to undertake a Herculean endeavor. I watched his hands break easily into the box and pull out two packets. He frowned at the instructions.

"Do you have a measuring cup I can use?"

I snorted. "Seriously? Can't you just guess-timate?"

"But what if I use too much and the cocoa is too runny? Or too little and then it's too thick?"

I rolled my eyes at his consternation. "Take the cookie dough and park yourself on the couch. I'll handle the cocoa."

"But –"

"No arguments, buster. It'll be perfect, I promise you. Go find something you can stand to watch on TV."

Edward shrugged and snuck two spoons out of my silverware drawer before doing what he was told. While I poured out the milk and popped the mugs into the microwave, I listened to the shifting sounds of Edward flipping through channels.

"Hey, Casablanca is on," Edward called from the living room, evidently settling on that channel. "This is one of my favorites."

"I'm not even going to comment on that one. It's too easy," I laughed, finishing with the cocoa.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. This is one of the greatest films of all time. I think I should get points for good taste."

I shrugged and wandered into the living area with the two mugs of cocoa. Miraculously, I transported them safely to the coffee table without spilling.

"I've never been able to really fall in love with it," I admitted, plopping down beside him. He'd been in the act of passing me my cookie dough and spoon, but stopped, holding them hostage.

"Explain yourself," he demanded sternly. "You can't just _not like_ Casablanca."

"It's not that the movie is bad," I frowned, glancing at Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart arguing on-screen. "It's just the ending. I can't get over it. No matter what the danger, no matter whether I could be passably happy with another man, I could never walk away from a man I loved that much."

Edward reluctantly handed over the cookie dough. "But the point is that _he_ loved _her_ enough to let her go, to want her to be safe."

I snatched my blanket from the floor and curled it around my shoulders. "That's all well and good, but why does the man get the final say? I mean, Ilsa is clearly accustomed to making decisions for herself, but when Rick tells her to go, she barely puts up a fight! How could she leave him once, let alone twice?"

"Hmm," Edward hummed around a spoonful of cookie dough. My eyes darted away from the sight of his lips pursing around the spoon. "Okay, but there _was_ something of a bigger picture. I mean, so much was out of their control –"

"There's _always_ a bigger picture. I don't care what Rick says – she wouldn't have regretted staying with him if she really loved him most, but she sure as hell would have regretted walking away from him."

"Strong sentiments," Edward murmured. "I never took you for such a romantic."

"Well, now you know," I said, punctuating the remark by swiping a lump of cookie dough off my spoon with my tongue.

* * *

An hour later, the movie was over, and we were still awake.

"So, why weren't you sleeping tonight?" Edward finally asked, turning his body on the couch to face me.

I drew my knees up to my chest. "The bed is too empty. You?"

"Same," he sighed. "I don't know what to do with myself now, you know? I wake up in the middle of the night and realize she's not there, and then I remember that she's left me, and it hits me as hard as the first time."

"Exactly," I agreed. "And before I can even get to sleep, I'm up half the night wondering what I did or didn't do, if I could have made him stay, if I should have just said what he wanted to hear. It's easier just to keep busy until I'm too exhausted to think anymore."

"Nobody ever tells you how long it's going to be this bad for, either," Edward complained. "They all say it gets easier with time, but how _much_ time? Months? Years?"

I nodded with tears prickling the corners of my eyes. "Feels like it's been forever already."

"I'm so tired all the time now," Edward sighed, dropping his head against the back of my couch. "I mean, working at the hospital, I was always short on sleep, but I never _felt_ this tired."

"I'm just glad I can write whenever, or else I'd never meet my deadlines."

Edward sighed again, and I sighed too, and a man on TV enthused about the new product that would revolutionize the way we all prepared food.

"Maybe you should just crash here tonight," I suggested.

"On your couch?" Edward mumbled, his eyes drooping with fatigue.

"Well, yes, or we could share my bed. Not like we haven't done it before," I said casually. I knew it was probably a bad idea, and that I might be giving him the wrong idea, but I was desperate not to sleep alone again, and really, we were both too tired to do anything inappropriate. I hoped.

"Just to sleep?" Edward clarified, looking wary.

I rolled my eyes. "When have _I_ ever come on to _you_?"

"Point taken. I guess we may as well. We're already –" A yawn cut off his sentence. "Already in pajamas, that is."

"Come on," I said, dragging my body into a standing position. "I'm exhausted."

"'Kay," Edward yawned. He staggered along behind me into the bedroom and then sat on the edge of the bed, peeling off his shoes, while I brushed my teeth. Edward, now sans-hoodie and barefoot, took his turn in the bathroom, rinsing with my mouthwash since he didn't have a toothbrush.

I crawled into my side of the bed, waiting for him, inexplicably nervous, even though this was my idea. Edward flipped off the bathroom light and stumbled over, more or less rolling into bed.

"Comfy," Edward muttered, settling in. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me, but a charge ran through the darkness, keeping me wired and awake. The comfort I'd expected to find in Edward's presence hadn't appeared.

"It's not the same, is it?" he asked quietly after a few minutes, and I heard the sadness in his voice. No, it wasn't the same. It couldn't be the same as being in a relationship, of having someone on the other side of the bed that you loved and trusted to love you back.

"No," I choked out. "It's not."

"Come here," he beckoned, and my eyes had adjusted enough to see his arms outstretched, open for me. I curled gladly into his side, and he didn't protest against the few tears that dampened his T-shirt.

He held me until I fell asleep, and for a little while, my heart felt safe again.

* * *

A/N: Just an fyi, I have plans to post the next chapter of Bonne Foi on Tuesday. No guarantees, but that's the plan.


	7. Seven: Rapacious

**The Twilight Twenty-Five**  
**Prompt:** Rapacious  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing: **Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Rapacious**

"I have the same dream all the time," I told Bella as we walked toward the Art Institute for the Matisse exhibition. She had insisted we see it, and I was more or less happy to comply with her whims, since she put up with so many of mine.

"I'm having sex with a woman in an exam room –" I continued, but Bella interrupted.

"Who's the woman?" She started at me, waiting for the answer to this vital question while she sipped at her coffee.

"Usually just a faceless woman," I lied. Over the years, many women had featured in my recurring sex dream – actresses, models, girlfriends, women I'd seen on the street. Lately, and more than once, Bella had been the star. With my subconscious conjuring up images of her naked, spread out on an exam table with her legs wrapped around me, it was impossible to ignore how attracted to her I was.

"Oh. Go on, then," she said, appeased.

"So, we're in the exam room, about to get to the big finish, when the door slams open, and in walks my dad, who starts berating me for unprofessional conduct in the workplace while I'm still _inside_ the woman."

Bella stopped walking to gape at me, forcing me to stop, too. "You mean to say, you've been having this dream since med school? What, did your dad catch you masturbating as a kid or something?"

"No, that's the worst part!" I groaned as we started walking again. "There's no earthly reason for me to keep having this dream, but it just keeps coming."

Bella's lips twitched. "That's what she said."

I rolled my eyes, secretly pleased with her irreverent sense of humor. "Nicely done."

"Maybe it's Freudian," Bella mused. "Maybe your subconscious is telling you that your work is getting in the way of your love life."

That _was_ one of my fears, and Bella knew that. I pursed my lips, unsure whether I wanted to play psychiatrist with a woman I hoped would someday want to have sex with me. "And what does my dad have to do with that?"

Bella shrugged. "He's a doctor, right? So he's probably the reason you became a doctor and the standard you're trying to live up to. Your brain sticks him in there to represent your fears of disappointment."

I weighed her conclusions in my mind. "Okay, fair enough. That makes sense. But why the sex? Why can't I be having a nice cuddle so that I don't have to wake up horny and mortified?"

Bella snickered. "Well, you _are_ a man. Of course there's sex."

"Yeah, yeah. Like women never think about sex. Surely you've got your recurring dreams, too."

Bella shrugged again, and the slight flush of pink over her cheeks and the bridge of her nose gave her away.

"A-ha! C'mon, Bella, spill," I urged, nudging her shoulder with mine.

"I didn't _ask_ you to share," Bella pointed out, pursing her lips. "You volunteered the information."

"You know you want to," I wheedled.

"No, it's embarrassing."

"I won't laugh," I promised. "Or psychoanalyze."

"You'll think it's weird," Bella complained.

"Well, I already think you're weird, so it shouldn't come as a surprise," I teased.

"Fine," Bella huffed. "In my dream, I wake up in the middle of the night, and the window is open, so I get up to close it. But just when I get to the window, someone grabs me from behind and pulls me back to the bed. Then suddenly he's on top of me, and he bites my neck."

"What, like…a love bite?" I asked skeptically.

"No, like a vampire bite," she said.

I blinked. "And then what?"

"That's it. That's the whole dream. The vampire comes in, bites me, and then I wake up."

She fidgeted with her coffee cup, so embarrassed, and I almost had to laugh at how adorable she was. "And that qualifies as a sex dream how?"

"Well, it feels good when he bites me. Like, _really_ good. And then I wake up horny," Bella said matter-of-factly, challenging me with a glare to tease her about it. So of course, I did.

"That's messed up."

Bella smacked my shoulder. "You said you wouldn't psychoanalyze!"

"Oh, I'm not even _trying_ to analyze that one. I have no idea what the hell is going on in your brain. But whatever it is, I'm positive it's messed up," I said, delighted with her riled-up reaction.

"Well, I'm sorry my subconscious isn't as well-adjusted as yours! At least my dad doesn't burst into the dream with his shotgun."

"I think I prefer my dad showing up to a vampire. Maybe you should eat some garlic before bed."

"I'm ignoring you now," Bella said, and she continued to ignore me for the rest of our walk, three blocks. I kept making vampire cracks anyway.

* * *

When we reached the museum, Bella's attention turned to the artwork, and I set the jokes aside in the face of her earnest enchantment with the pieces. Her childlike wonder cracked through my armor of cynicism.

Every day I was more alarmed by how much I _liked_ Bella, in a way that I'd never really liked a woman before. In every relationship I'd ever had, even with my soon-to-be-ex-wife, I'd always felt on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the moment when I would say or do something that would piss the woman off and have her on a rampage. With Bella, I felt truly comfortable.

Well, mostly.

The more time I spent with Bella, the more I knew that friendship alone would not be enough for me. Not forever.

We were reaching the end of our tour through the museum, the end of our time together, and I knew I wasn't ready to part with her yet.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" She glanced up from the last painting.

"Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" I asked, a full fantasy unraveling in my head. I would take her somewhere nice, and I would confess my attraction to her, and perhaps she would tell me she felt the same way. I'd drop her off at home, and after I kissed her, she'd ask me to come inside. We'd stumble back to her bedroom, kissing and undressing, and then –

"Um, I'm sorry, Edward, I can't tonight," Bella said awkwardly, avoiding my eyes, and my heart sunk.

"Got a hot date?" I asked without thinking, expecting her to announce plans with Alice or Rosalie. Only when Bella turned to me with anxious eyes did I realize a hot date was _exactly_ what she had.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, feeling betrayed and trying not to show it. Minutes ago, we had been two wounded soldiers, banded together in the solidarity of the jilted. Now, a nauseating cocktail of jealousy and abandonment and disappointment swirled in my stomach.

"I don't know, I guess I didn't want to make a big deal about it, and I didn't want you to feel like…I don't know."

"No, it's great, Bella," I lied, fighting to paste on a smile. "It's good that you're getting back out there."

"Really?" Bella bit her lip, looking uncertain, and I knew I hadn't fooled her.

"Really," I said with fake enthusiasm. "I'm happy for you."

"I actually need to get going, to get ready. Will…will you be okay?" Bella asked.

I silenced a groan. How pitiful was I coming across as if Bella thought I was that fragile? Never mind that she was right. I didn't want her to see me that way.

"I'll be fine, of course I will. Have a good time tonight. You'll have to tell me about it after."

Bella nodded. "Do you want to come over for dinner after your next shift?"

"Sure," I agreed.

"Okay," Bella sighed, backing away from me. "I'll see you later. And Edward?"

"Yes?" I replied hopefully. I was hoping for something like, 'I'd rather be spending the evening with you.' Of course, that wasn't what I got.

"You should think about dating again, too."

I winced, burying my hands in my pockets. "I don't think I'm ready…."

"Edward, it's time," Bella said firmly before walking away from me.

I turned back to the last painting, not wanting to watch her go. Apparently, now wasn't the time for Bella and me. Maybe it would never be.

Maybe friendship would have to be enough.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh, Sadward. It'll get better, promise.

Still planning to update Bonne Foi tomorrow, probably in the evening (US central time, that is).


	8. Eight: Patience

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Patience  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Patience**

Meeting Edward at his place to help him redecorate was the one bright spot in an abysmal week. My first foray into dating after Peter was a disaster.

Alec had seemed nice enough when I'd met him at a book club I was considering joining. He'd talked intelligently about the text and had a charming smile. When he asked for my number, I gave it with only slight hesitation.

He'd called two days later and asked me to dinner. By then, I'd already made up my mind to accept him if he asked for a date.

"It can't have been _that_ bad," Edward chuckled after I called Alec a creature from the pit. I didn't answer right away, too occupied with not dropping my end of the couch that we were flipping around.

"It was _horrible_," I wheezed, still trying to catch my breath after the couch was in place. "I mean, it started out fine, but by the time the appetizers came, he was already asking me if I'd ever dabbled in BDSM and whether I thought I'd prefer a leather or suede paddle!"

"He _what?_" Edward cried, looking a mixture of horrified and furious.

"I'm not even joking. He went on to describe his collection of Victorian pornography and then at dessert, which I tried _very_ hard to get out of, he tried to feed it to me _by hand_."

Edward frowned. "Well, the Victorian pornography is…odd, but feeding by hand can be sort of romantic…"

"Not when it's mousse!" I said, shuddering at the mere memory.

"Eww," Edward agreed, wrinkling his nose. "See? You should have hung out with me instead."

"I know," I sighed, and I did. When Edward had asked me to dinner the week before, my instinctive reaction was to say yes, which I barely stifled when I remembered I already had plans. In that moment, I'd wanted nothing more than to cancel with Alec and spend the evening with Edward, and in that moment, I'd known it was absolutely critical that I go on the date.

Edward was very much in danger of becoming my crutch, and that would only lead to pain for both of us. My fears were only confirmed by the kicked-puppy look Edward gave me when he heard I had a date.

"Still," Edward said, sliding his new coffee table in front of the couch, "You had a dream date compared to my horror."

"Impossible," I disagreed.

"No, really," Edward said as he flopped down on his couch. "This woman, Jane, had absolutely no sense of humor _whatsoever_. Any time I made a joke, it seemed to piss her off. I imagine it's what talking to a Nazi must be like."

"Maybe your jokes were bad," I teased, though I didn't believe it. I curled into the other end of the sofa.

"They were perfectly funny, thank you. I mean, how do you go to an Ethiopian restaurant and _not_ make a joke about there being no food in Ethiopia? It's the only way you can ward off the guilt."

"True," I agreed.

"And then she starts talking about her last boyfriend, Jason, and that just made me think of Tanya," Edward said miserably.

"Why? Did he cheat on her?" I asked, confused.

"No," Edward shook his head. "But his name is Jason, and Tanya left me for a Jacob."

"Oh." I wanted to tell him he was ridiculous for being bothered by such a barely-there connection, but I'd had my own ridiculous moments.

"Edward, I think we both have to be patient," I told him, studying his pensive profile. "It could be months before either of us can enjoy going out with another person, and maybe even longer before we can go to bed with someone new."

"I went to bed with her," Edward said.

I gawked at him, but he didn't meet my eyes. I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut, and there was no good reason for it. Edward had every right to sleep with whomever he wanted, even if he apparently hadn't liked her at all….

All I ended up saying was, "Oh."

* * *

I was an idiot. And a douche, I decided as I took out my frustrations at the batting cages. I couldn't believe what I was doing.

"So how does it work?" Jasper asked from the cage next to mine. The cracking of a bat punctuated his sentence.

"How does what work?" I asked, swinging with all my might at the ball that came flying at me.

"This thing with you and Bella. You say she's attractive, and you like spending time with her. I don't understand why you're not _with_ her."

"It's not like that with us," I said, _however much I might like it to be._ "We're just friends. It's good for us both. We can talk about things."

"What things? Do you tell her things you don't tell me?" Jasper asked.

"No, not really," I lied. The truth was, I was a lot more comfortable admitting my emotional weaknesses to Bella. "We talk about our baggage, people we're seeing, things like that."

Jasper turned and raised an eyebrow through the chain-link fencing. "You talk about sex?"

"Now and then," I replied, taking another swing.

"Did you tell her about Jane?"

Oh, Jane, my little white lie that had quickly turned into a monster. When I'd recapped my date for Jasper, I hadn't told him what really happened. I hadn't told him that I only made it as far as Jane's door before I thought I would throw up all over her Italian shoes and had to leave. I hadn't told him I wanted another woman too much to even think about sleeping with someone else.

No, what I'd told Jasper was that I'd slept with her. Because apparently, I had become the kind of guy who felt the need to defend his sexual reputation – I was an idiot, and a douche.

"Yeah, I told her," I said. I don't know why I hadn't been honest with Bella. My supposed conquests wouldn't impress her. But when she'd talked about going to bed with someone else, I had become immediately defensive. If she had those kinds of plans in her future, I wasn't about to reveal that I couldn't cross that line, especially when it was Bella and not Tanya holding me back.

"Really? All the dirty details?"

"Well, not _all_ the details," I said. "It's not like Bella cares if I'm so good I can make a woman meow."

Jasper gaped at me. "You've made a woman _meow_?"

"Very recently," I said, figuring if I was going to lie, I may as well go for broke. "And I could tell Bella about that, if I wanted to, and it wouldn't make a difference." And I was only _incredibly_ bitter about that.

"No, seriously. You made a woman _meow_?"

I ignored him and smacked another ball away.


	9. Nine: Awe

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Awe  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

This is (one of) the one(s) you've all been waiting for. ;-D

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Awe**

I watched Edward as he completely rebuilt his sandwich. He went through it systematically, rearranging lettuce and tomato and removing a few slices of meat. I waited until he finished and noticed me staring at him.

"What?" he asked, holding his sandwich halfway to his open mouth. "What'd I do?"

"Nothing," I snorted, shaking my head. "So you have another date this weekend?"

I bit into my own unedited sandwich while I waited for Edward to chew and swallow.

"Yeah," he said after a swig of his Coke. "Heidi."

"Heidi?" I repeated incredulously. "Does she yodel?"

Edward shot me a flat look. "No, as far as I'm aware, she doesn't yodel."

"Pity," I commented, sipping water. "Are you going to sleep with her?"

I shouldn't have asked. I knew I shouldn't have asked. I hadn't wanted to know about Jane, and I really didn't want to know what he would be doing with Heidi. My stomach was already twisting, ruining my appetite, but I _had_ to know. If Edward was sleeping his way around Chicago…well, that was important information somehow. All I knew was that my personal happiness had gotten all twisted and tied up in Edward.

"I don't know," Edward said delicately around a mouthful of sandwich. He swallowed audibly and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I generally don't plan that sort of thing before the date even starts."

I frowned at my French fries. "But you slept with Jane, and you didn't even like her."

Edward kept his eyes trained on his food, but the tips of his ears turned pink. "That's not my usual behavior, Bella. It's just that…it had been a long time. I mean, things weren't so good with Tanya toward the end. When Jane offered, I just…."

"Hmm," I hummed through the food I was chewing. "Must be a man thing," I concluded, tossing a fry at his head. He caught it easily and flicked it back at me. I didn't have Edward's reflexes, and the fry nailed me in the forehead.

"Okay, so tell me something," I said as I swiped at my forehead with a napkin. "Did you stay the night with Jane?"

"No, I didn't," Edward sighed. "I had an early shift the next day."

I pursed my lips, trying to swallow my disapproval. My first – and only – college fling excused himself immediately afterward claiming an early class, and I'd never heard from him again. That experience had been a rude awakening. Peter had spent three months trying to convince me to go out with him after that disaster.

"Is that what you told her?" I asked.

"Yeah," Edward replied. His eyes still avoided mine, and he fidgeted in his seat. I didn't care that I was making him uncomfortable. Edward was one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I knew, and I had to show him that this behavior was unacceptable.

"Does she know you're never going to call her, or does she think it was something more than it was to you?" I questioned.

"I don't know," Edward sighed into his sandwich. "I _think_ she knows. I mean, I've never done that sort of thing before. She didn't seem too sorry to see me go, and _she_ was the one who invited me inside. It's not like I pressured her into it."

"Not sorry to see you go, huh?" I smirked, unable to resist. "Maybe it wasn't that good for her."

Edward shot me his you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look. "She enjoyed herself, trust me."

"How do you know?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

"What do you mean, how do I know? I _know_."

"Because she…?" I made a vague gesture in midair.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yes, because she _waved at me_," he said, mocking my movement.

I ignored his attitude. "Okay, but how do you know?"

Edward narrowed his eyes and dropped his sandwich. "What are you saying? That she faked an orgasm?"

I shrugged. "You don't think it's a possibility? Most women have faked it at one point or another."

"Not with me they haven't," Edward said firmly, and in spite of all the skepticism about men my mother had drilled into my head as a teen, I had to believe him. I couldn't imagine a woman not having the time of her life in bed with Edward…but I wasn't about to let _him_ know I thought that.

"Maybe not. But how do you _know_?"

"I can tell a difference!" Edward insisted, hissing across the table to keep from attracting attention by raising his voice.

I laughed. "Right, of course. I forgot, you're a man."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," I explained patiently, "that women are very, very good at faking it. And the fact is that most women have faked it at one point or another, and most men are sure it's _never_ happened to them, so you do the math."

"Bella? _I can tell the difference_," Edward said with a note of finality, which my stubborn mind took as a challenge. It didn't help that I was already riled up with anger that Edward would sleep with a woman he didn't even like on a first date. I would have done anything to gain the upper hand in that moment.

So I did what any self-respecting woman would do in my shoes – I faked an orgasm.

I began breathing heavily, trailing my fingers down my neck. "Ooh," I sighed, shifting a little. I closed my eyes, blocking out Edward and the other patrons. "Ohh…"

"Bella? Are you all right?" I heard Edward ask, and I tried not to smile. He probably thought I was suffering from heartburn or something. But I would show him.

"Ohh, God," I breathed, letting my head fall back slightly. "Ohh, _yes_…" I trailed my hand down my stomach and let my sighs turn into moans. "Yesss, oh, God, yes…"

I opened my eyes just far enough to get a peek at Edward. He sat back in the booth, watching me. Did I imagine the look of lust in his eyes?

"Mmm…ohh…oh, yes…right there…ooh, _yes_," I moaned, escalating in volume. People had to be staring by now. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to think about them. I was _not_ going to chicken out now.

"Oh, oh God! Ohh, yes! Yes, yes, yes, _yes, yes, yes!_" I all but screamed, throwing my head back and writhing as if in the throes of passion. "Oh my God, ohh, _yes_!"

I breathed deeply, pretending to hum with satisfaction, and then opened my eyes and sat up. I looked expectantly at Edward as I popped a French fry in my mouth.

Edward was momentarily stunned, awestruck even. Then, out of the blue, he smirked at me and leaned forward across the table. "Either you're a more subtle actress, or you've never come properly, because the women I'm with are _much_ louder than that."

I hurled another French fry at his self-satisfied face just as the waitress waltzed by, glaring at me.

"What can I get for you?" I heard her ask.

"I'll have what she's having," the woman in the booth behind us replied.

Edward burst out laughing.


	10. Ten: Lithe

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Lithe  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Lithe**

The holidays were rough, being single again. I argued endlessly with Edward over which of us had it worse, and I was completely assured of my victory on that score. The constant romantically-charged commercials for jewelry and expensive lingerie were targeted to make women like me feel lonely and unloved, I was certain. At least Edward could enjoy the relief of having nearly no one to shop for this year.

Thanksgiving was the beginning of the ordeal. Edward chose to work over the holiday; the ER was always swamped, he claimed, with accidents related to turkey and travel. I knew the truth, that he didn't want to be alone, and if he had to spend the day with strangers, he preferred them to be patients rather than people taking pity on him. That fear of pity was the reason, I suspected, he'd declined to spend the day with me and my friends.

As had become tradition, Rosalie and Emmett hosted Thanksgiving dinner for our group of friends. Rosalie relished the role of domestic guru and went out of her way to prepare the perfect meal and the perfect ambiance.

I would have enjoyed myself immensely, had it just been our intimate group of friends, but Rose had other plans. She'd invited Alice and I, as well as all of Emmett's friends, and every married couple she knew that didn't have plans of their own.

Spending Thanksgiving with a bunch of married couples was bad enough on its own, but to make matters worse, Alice brought a date, and Rosalie and Emmett spent the entire day trying to set me up with one of their friends, who cornered me at every opportunity and yammered about his thriving real estate business. Needless to say, I was less than impressed.

The icing on the cake was Rosalie's announcement at dinner that she was pregnant. I beamed and congratulated her, like everyone else, but inside, I drowned in melancholy. It wasn't that I envied her, or that I longed for children of my own, but I did fear seeing my friends move on with their grown-up lives and leave me behind. At least Alice was in the same situation, although she didn't know it. She spent the day talking to her date about her boss, with whom she was still 'in love.' If anyone asked Alice what her prospects were, she would have sworn Garrett was filing for divorce within the week and that they'd be happily married within a year.

I'd much rather have spent Thanksgiving the way I did the day after, feasting on ordered-in pizza with Edward.

Christmas was a little better. Edward and I had both committed to going home for Christmas, so we were together, at least, when our flight from O'Hare to SeaTac was delayed for five hours. Back in Washington, we spent Christmas Day with our respective families, but Edward visited me in Forks on Christmas Eve, and practically dragged me to his parents' house outside Port Angeles the day after. His parents were beautiful, and incredibly kind and welcoming. I longed to be part of a family like that.

New Year's was the worst. Alice absolutely _loved_ New Year's Eve. She insisted I go to the huge bash she was throwing this year, and though I tried to refuse, her pleading eventually left me feeling too guilty not to attend.

Once I had agreed to go, I knew I had to find a date. Alice's parties were never small, and Thanksgiving had reminded me how much I hated being the odd woman out. I didn't care to stand around a dance hall until well past midnight, watching couples dance and kiss while I lurked alone in a corner.

Two days before New Year's Eve, I caved in and called Edward.

"You want me to be your date for New Year's?" Edward asked, paraphrasing what I'd just babbled at him.

"Please?" I begged. "I know you said you didn't want to do anything for New Year's, but I really don't want to go to this thing alone, and Alice does throw a good party –"

"Bella?" he interrupted. "I'm happy to go with you."

* * *

The party was typical Alice. Loud, crowded, and completely decked out. I couldn't imagine how much she'd spent on decorations, let alone the booze that seemed to be flowing freely. As in, free of charge.

"Does she actually know all these people?" Edward asked me. He had to lean in close to be heard.

"Probably not," I replied, roaming my eyes over him again. Edward was drawing stares everywhere tonight in his navy suit over a crisp, white shirt. The cut emphasized his long, lean physique a little too well. He wore no tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, leaving the full length of his neck exposed. It was hard to look away.

"I'm so glad I'm not working tonight. Lots of stomachs are going to need pumping," Edward said, shaking his head. "Would you like to dance?"

"I'm not a good dancer," I warned him. "I'll massacre your feet."

Edward laughed. "I'll risk it. Come on, what did you bring me here for, to stand in a corner with you? You have to dance with me."

"All right, dancing queen," I agreed, letting him lead me to the floor.

"That _sounds_ like an insult to my manliness," Edward said, taking my left hand with his right, and placing the other on my waist. "I'll have you know, real men can dance."

I had to agree with him, and Edward was an incredible dancer. He moved lithely, each step so effortless that it seemed to rub off on me, and I acquired a little more grace as the night wore on. I'd never danced so easily with anyone as I did with Edward, and I found myself enjoying the party more than I ever dreamed I would. Dancing, talking, laughing with Edward put an unshakeable smile on my face.

Edward had pulled me in closer for a slow song when the one-minute countdown began. I didn't want to move, content to remain in the comfort of his arms, breathing in the subtle scent of his aftershave, but we both knew what would happen at midnight.

"Do you want to get some air?" Edward asked. I nodded my agreement.

Outside on the balcony, the lights of Chicago beamed steadily as hundreds of thousands of people waited to greet the New Year.

"Thanks for coming with me tonight," I said, turning to Edward with a smile. "It's actually been fun, thanks to you."

"Anytime," Edward grinned. "We should do this again next year, if we're both single."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, just as the ten-second countdown began inside. I glanced at Edward, who was looking at me, and then flicked my eyes back toward the main party, where people were latching onto dates and clinging to champagne flutes.

"_Three, two, one…Happy New Year!_" was the roar that came from the party. I looked uncomfortably over at Edward.

He laughed a little. "Happy New Year, Bella."

"Happy New Year," I replied in kind, blushing as I realized he was leaning in to kiss me. I felt an instant of panic, but ignored it – what was a little peck between friends on New Year's?

The moment his lips touched mine, I knew it was no friendly kiss. My head swam with his scent and my lips tingled at the brush of his. His lips were smooth and firm, moving languidly against mine. My body screamed for a million things at once; I wanted to grasp his hair, taste his tongue, rub my body against his, and peel away his clothes. I desperately wanted _him_.

Edward eased away from me, and my heart sunk into my stomach.

No matter what I'd felt, Edward had kissed me as a friend. There was nothing more between us.

I knew, too, that I wished he were more than a friend; I wished he wanted more.

I was falling a little bit in love with Edward.


	11. Eleven: Worry

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Worry  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Worry**

"You sent flowers to yourself?" I asked Alice incredulously.

"Yup. Red roses. Sat them right on the corner of my desk with a really obvious card."

"What did you put on the card?" I asked, knowing it would be entertaining. It _was_ Alice.

"I wrote, 'You're the best I ever had. Please take me back! Love, John,'" Alice said in a dramatic voice, her black hair bobbing as she gestured enthusiastically. "You think it was too over the top?"

I snorted. "Just a little. You couldn't come up with anything better than John?"

"I like the name John," Alice huffed.

"Okay, so how did he react?" I asked.

"He didn't see them! He took off Friday to take a long weekend holiday with his wife. I don't think he's ever gonna leave her," Alice sighed.

"Alice, for the love of –"

"I know, I know," she cut me off. We took a few more strides down the sidewalk. "I don't know why I'm doing this. You know I hate blind dates."

"Yeah, well, after all the blind dates you've sent me on, you owe me one. Besides, this could be a good thing. Edward is one of my best friends, and you're one of my best friends, and if somehow you two manage to hit it off, then we won't grow apart like people usually do when they get involved with people who don't know their friends," I concluded.

I had to force the words out since I couldn't make myself believe them. Of course, I didn't want Alice to hit it off with Edward; watching my best friend with the man I…liked a lot would be horrible. But what was I supposed to say when Edward suggested the idea? "Oh, gee, Edward, that's a great idea, but I'd rather just have sex with you now"?

"But we didn't grow apart when I met Garrett," Alice argued.

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, if you actually had a relationship with him, and if I ever actually met him, I'm sure we would grow apart."

Alice heaved a sigh.

* * *

"For the record, I think this is a terrible idea," Jasper said, not for the first time.

"It's one date," I replied, also not for the first time.

"But I was just reaching a place where I was accepting it was just me and my work…"

I sighed. "And you can go right back to that afterward, if you so choose. What's it going to hurt?"

"Yeah, all right," Jasper agreed reluctantly. He scratched at his scruffy blond beard. "What did you say she was like again?"

"Bella's great," I said, trying not to gush. The fact was, I was almost one hundred percent certain Bella and Jasper would _not_ hit it off, and that was the only reason why I'd agreed to this ridiculous scenario. "Very attractive, great personality."

"Wait a minute," Jasper drawled. "Which one is it?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked impatiently. It was cold out, and I was eager to get to the restaurant.

"Whenever someone describes somebody as having a 'great personality' it means she's ugly. But you just said she was attractive."

I sighed. "Jasper, if you'd asked what she looked like and I said she had a great personality, then that would mean she was unattractive. But just because Bella _is_ attractive does not exclude the possibility that she also has a great personality, which she does."

"Hmm," Jasper considered. "But she's not beautiful, is she?"

I wanted to punch his raised eyebrow, but I settled for elbowing him instead. "I hope you're not this much of an ass during dinner."

* * *

I was trying to listen to Alice talk about spring fashions. Really, I was. But honestly, she was boring the fuck out of me.

"…but I just can't stand animal print! I don't know what these designers are thinking."

I tried to look attentive, but my ears wandered to Jasper and Bella's conversation.

"Robert E. Lee was, without a doubt, the greatest general in American history," Jasper declared.

I winced internally. Jasper's military tirades never ended well.

"But…he lost," Bella replied with her brown eyes looking adorably confused, and I literally winced for her sake.

"I know, right?" Alice responded eagerly to my wince. "I will never get used to brown shoes with black pants. So tacky…"

I glanced over at Jasper and Bella. Bella sipped her water obliviously while Jasper fumed.

"Lee lost because the South had fewer resources and a smaller population, but that shouldn't detract from his capability as a strategist."

I tuned into Alice; she'd moved on to interior design. My eyes flickered back to Bella, who now hid uncomfortably behind a curtain of brown hair.

"What about Washington? Sherman? Patton? Eisenhower? You think Lee is better than all of them?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, I do," Jasper said firmly, drilling his fingers on the table. That was bad.

"I just don't see what the big deal is," Bella sighed, shaking her head.

Jasper scowled, "Well, Robert E. Lee is only the reason I became a historian, but that's not important."

"…And so I really think it's better to go without throw pillows than to overdo it," Alice concluded beside me.

I nodded like I agreed. "That's…all very interesting."

The table grew very quiet.

Bella cleared her throat, catching my eyes beseechingly. "So, what's everybody ordering?"

"I think I'm having the mushroom ravioli, but that depends on whether the mushrooms are in the ravioli or in the sauce," I mused. It was a texture thing. I knew it was insane, but we all had our faults.

Bella snickered and flicked her eyes toward Alice. "Edward has a very…in-depth way of ordering his dinner. Sometimes even the chefs don't understand what he's talking about."

"They'd understand if the waiters would bother to relay my requests properly," I said, knowing right away that I sounded like a pompous ass.

"Miscommunication is the root of every conflict in history," Alice quipped beside me, surveying her menu. She looked up with a slight blush. "I read that in a book once."

Jasper's jaw dropped and he gawked at little Alice, who looked bemusedly back at Jasper. "I wrote that," Jasper said.

Alice's eyebrows shot up. Bella bit her lip, glancing between the two of them.

"You _wrote that_? That's amazing," Alice gushed. "Don't you all think that's amazing? I've never quoted anything from a book in my life, and you wrote it!"

"No one's ever quoted me to my face before," Jasper said in disbelief. "I mean, that it stuck with you in that way is just…"

Alice and Jasper took off in a rapid-fire conversation of mutual adoration, and Bella and I stared each other aghast. Inwardly, I was pleased; I wouldn't be talking to Alice anymore, evidently, even if I'd wanted, and Bella and Jasper would likely not be seeing each other again. Yet I worried. I didn't want Bella to be hurt by Jasper's disinterest.

* * *

Dinner was awkward after Alice and Jasper tuned into their own weird frequency. I spent the rest of the evening trying to distract Edward from the fact that his date had already given up on him. For my own part, I was relieved. Jasper was nice enough, but entirely too militaristic – literally and figuratively – for me. And thank heavens Alice wouldn't be pursuing Edward. Listening to her in raptures over Edward, who I already knew was incredible, would have been unendurable.

Walking in a group down the street afterward, Alice jerked me aside under the guise of looking at a shoe display in a store window. Edward and Jasper kept walking, not even bothering to pretend to be interested in shoes.

"Bella," Alice whispered to me frantically. "Do you think you're going to see Jasper again?"

"You want to go out with Jasper," I summarized as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, amused at her total transparency. At least she bothered to ask how I felt about it.

"Only if you don't think you're going to see him again," Alice said in a rush. "I just…I feel really comfortable with him, you know?"

I smiled tentatively. "It's fine, Alice, really. I'd just appreciate it if you didn't reject Edward tonight."

"No, of course," Alice agreed readily.

"It's just that he's had a rough time since his wife left him, and I think it'd be better if you let him think you had a good time tonight."

"Sure, sure," Alice agreed.

* * *

"Edward, do you think you're going to call Alice?" Jasper asked me as soon as the girls were distracted.

"Uh…no, probably not," I ventured, uncertain. I raked a hand through my hair as I glanced fleetingly back at the girls.

"Well, if you're not going to call her, would you mind if I did?" Jasper asked hopefully. Oh, the puppy-dog eyes. One dinner, and he was already smitten.

"No, go ahead. But…just wait a week or so, would you? I'm just worried about Bella. She's kind of vulnerable right now."

"Yeah, of course. I totally understand," Jasper said with apparent sincerity.

"Just don't do anything tonight, okay?" I confirmed.

"Sure, sure."

The sound of heels tapping on pavement alerted us to the girls' approach, and we turned to meet them. I eyed Bella, trying to judge her emotional state, and found her looking back at me. We each looked back to our proper dates then.

"Well," Jasper said abruptly. "I don't feel like walking anymore. I think I'll catch a cab."

With that announcement, he was off, hailing the cabs running down the busy street.

"I'll go with you!" Alice volunteered, chasing after him in her high heels. She was like a little sprite running amok. Jasper held the door for her, ever the southern gentleman, and then they were gone.

I gaped after the cab for a moment before turning my eyes to Bella. She stared back at me a moment later, as perplexed as I was.

"Well…so much for the brilliant double-date idea," I sighed, hoping Bella wasn't too offended by Jasper's behavior.

Bella snorted and pursed her lips. "At least it worked out for Alice and Jasper."

"Yeah," I agreed, unable to help feeling that it had worked out for me, too. "You want a ride home?"

"Yes, please," Bella agreed, and together we walked on to the parking garage where my Volvo waited. I looped an arm around her shoulders under the guise of keeping her warm or protecting her or whatever Bella wanted to think it was. I just wanted to touch her.

"Think it'll work out for them?" Bella asked quietly, resting her head against my arm.

"If they like each other as much in the morning as they do tonight, I think they've got as good a chance as anybody."


	12. Twelve: Dark

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Dark  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. "All I Ask of You" from _Phantom of the Opera_ doesn't belong to me, either. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Dark**

"I can't believe they're already moving in together – already _engaged_," Bella ranted alongside me as we toured the household linens and appliances in an obliging department store.

"I know, it's ridiculous. Who pops the question after _two months_?" I asked rhetorically. Neither Bella nor I could explain our friends' bizarre behavior. Alice and Jasper were insane, as far as I was concerned. It had taken me a year of dating to move in with Tanya, and another six months after that to pop the question. Then again, look where that had gotten me – divorced before age thirty. I was a ridiculous failure.

"I don't know what to even get them," Bella sighed, blowing out the side of her mouth to push aside a few rogue strands of brown hair. We were going in together on a housewarming-slash-engagement gift for the happy couple.

"Did Alice give you a list?" I asked, having learned of Alice's penchant for obsessive organization.

"No! I don't know what's wrong with her. I'd expected her to register at ten stores, but instead she just told me whatever I picked out would be great." Bella rolled her eyes. "Alice has _never_ trusted my shopping judgment before, and I really wish she wouldn't, actually. I don't have the faintest clue what she wants, and I'm pretty sure she's already bought everything she and Jasper could possibly need. Like, for the rest of their lives."

"Hmm," I mused, poking through sets of flatware. "Jasper must be mellowing her out or something."

"Or something," Bella said, wiggling her eyebrows. I snorted.

"Filthy, Swan. I'm glad I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours," I teased.

"Shut up, Cullen, you know you were thinking it, too," she shot back, elbowing me in the side. I winced. Bella had bony elbows.

"So," I said, staring around helplessly at kitchen appliances, "Any ideas?"

"Nope," Bella replied with emphasis on the P. "You?"

"No," I laughed. "Come on, I'm a man. This is not my forte. You're the woman, you're supposed to be good at these things."

"Says the person who takes ten minutes to order a drink," Bella huffed. "I don't even shop for myself, let alone other people."

"Okay, well, let's tackle this logically," I suggested. "What can we deduce from our knowledge of Jasper and Alice? Would they need…er…kitchen appliances?"

I lifted a combination dicer and grater to show Bella. She shook her head.

"I don't know about Jasper, but Alice is not a cook. Besides a microwave, I don't think she could even operate half the things we could get them."

"Yeah, Jasper can't cook, either. They're going to be doomed together," I sighed, setting aside that option. "Linens?"

"Linens? Have you _met_ Alice? I'm sure she has enough 500-thread-count-Egyptian-cotton sheets to cover the entire city. No, they're probably good on linens."

"Fine home furnishings?" I suggested.

"No," Bella rejected it. "They're both combining their furniture…Alice already has a full living-room set, and I know they bought a new bedroom set…"

"Hmm. This is ridiculous," I said again, crossing my arms. "Okay, should we go to the completely random section?"

Bella laughed. "Sure."

Soon we were sifting through things no sane people ever needed. Five-hundred-dollar coffee makers. Foot massagers. Miniature pinball machines.

"Oh, this is perfect for Jasper," I said, studying the box. "He never met a pinball machine he didn't love."

Bella crinkled her nose. "Perfect for Jasper, but trust me, there's no way Alice is letting that in her house."

"Fair point," I agreed, making a mental note to get it for him as a wedding present. Alice would just have to deal.

"What about this?" Bella asked hopefully, holding up a machine that turned one's bathtub into a Jacuzzi. I laughed.

"Believe it or not, Jasper already has one. Loves his bubble baths."

"You're kidding me," Bella said flatly.

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not," I sighed. If Bella thought _I_ was bad, she never would have made it with Jasper. And I was infinitely pleased about that, still.

"Okay," Bella huffed, pursing her lips, and I could tell she was getting frustrated. "Any bright ideas?"

"Hmm…" I turned in a circle, looking around us at the myriad of boxes plastered with product photos. And then I hit gold. "Oh! A karaoke machine! It's perfect!"

"A karaoke machine?" Bella repeated, sounding unconvinced. I grabbed her hand and dragged her to the unboxed machine that sat out for trial purposes.

"You don't think it's perfect? I know Jasper loves karaoke. And Alice seems like the type who loves attention in any form," I argued, picking up one microphone and looking at the song selection.

"Okay, you have a point there," Bella agreed. Her brown eyes darted toward my hands. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm picking out a song. You will sing with me, won't you?" I said, making my best puppy-dog eyes.

"Uh-uh. No way. I am the worst singer in the history of the world. There's no way I'm doing it in public," Bella stated emphatically.

"That's what she said," I joked gleefully. "And then I convinced her," I added with a wink. Bella glared at me, unimpressed.

"Oh, come on. One song?"

"Fine," Bella sighed. "One. And I'm not turning on the microphone."

"Okay," I agreed, fairly certain I could turn the microphone on for her without her noticing. "They've got showtunes in right now…ooh, Phantom of the Opera!"

"You are _such_ a girl," Bella snorted.

"I just happen to like the music, okay?" I defended, making my selection. "It's not my fault you're completely lacking any and all girl genes."

"Well, for someone with no girl genes, I do seem to have the parts," Bella shot back, grabbing her breasts for emphasis. I snapped my eyes shut and struggled to keep my cool. I could take a lot when it came to Bella, but even I couldn't ignore her grabbing her own breasts. I was only human.

"Wimp," she huffed, poking me in the arm to get me to open my eyes again.

"Oh, it's starting," I said, shushing her and picking up her microphone. I stealthily pushed the switch up to turn it on. Bella was too busy glaring at me to notice.

I waited for the intro to finish before I chimed in. "_No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears, I'm here_ –" I began to sing before Bella cut me off.

"Oh, of course you'd be great at this. That's so not fair. I'm not doing this with you," she pouted.

"Oh, yes, you are. Now get ready, your turn is coming."

Bella heaved a sigh and lifted her microphone. "_Say you'll love me every waking moment_ – hey! You ass, you turned my microphone on," Bella complained.

"Just go with it," I sighed. "No one's around anyway!"

"Oh, fine," she grumbled.

"_Let me be your shelter, let me be your light, you're safe, no one will find you, your fears are far behind you_," I sang, until something popped into my peripheral vision. I turned my head and saw the last two people in the world I ever would have wanted to see.

Bella went on singing, oblivious. "_All I want is freedom, a world with no more night, and you, always beside me_ – what, what is it? It's my voice, isn't it? You hate my voice. I can't blame you, it's terrible…"

"It's Tanya," I said, dry-mouthed.

"Tanya?" Bella repeated into her microphone, which I quickly snatched away from her.

Bella turned to follow my gaze as Tanya and the hulking 'roid-case beside her approached us. Tanya looked perfect, of course. Not one strawberry-blond hair was out of place, and her perfectly manicured hand wrapped around one of the Hulk's biceps. I cast a glance at his face and found that he was looking Bella up and down, and I wrapped my arm protectively – okay, possessively – around her. She felt very tiny, tucked into my side.

"Edward," Tanya simpered. "How have you been?"

"Fine," I answered automatically, then thought better. "Great. Perfect. You?"

"I've been well," she replied, smiling tightly. "You know Jacob Black, don't you?"

"Sure," I said coldly. Then reluctantly, "This is Bella Swan."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Tanya said, and I had one of those moments – more frequent lately – in which I wondered why I'd ever married her.

"Likewise," Bella said, but she didn't sound charmed at all, and her eyes were hard. I fought back a smile. Bella could go from kitten to tiger in a second flat.

"Well," Tanya said, looking discerningly between us, "Have a nice day."

And then they were gone.

Bella turned to me with worry shining out of her big, brown eyes. "Edward? Are you okay?"

Was I? I wasn't sure. I hated that Tanya had left me for a freak of nature, and I hated even more that he'd had the audacity to look at Bella the way he did. I felt full of black rage. I wanted to punch somebody – namely, Jacob Black, but an obliging stranger would work, too.

Bella tugged at my arm, and I took a deep breath.

"Yeah," I finally said. "Fine. I'm fine."


	13. Thirteen: Bitter

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Bitter  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Bitter**

After buying the karaoke machine, Edward and I went to Alice and Jasper's new house in the suburbs. I worried about Edward. He hadn't been himself since our run-in with Tanya, which was to be expected. What bothered me was his silence. If Edward wasn't talking, he was stewing, and if he was stewing, he was bound to boil over soon. Or get us killed. Granted, his driving right now wasn't that much worse than his usual method of careening down the road, but I still tightened my seatbelt in preparation.

Somehow we made it to Alice and Jasper's intact. Edward carted the karaoke machine in his arms behind me as I went up to the door and rang the doorbell. I heard Alice's gleeful squeal inside. She loved people ringing the doorbell.

"Bella! Edward! I'm _so_ glad you're here," she exclaimed. "Jasper and I are having a dispute, and I need mediators."

"Okay…" I agreed, following Alice inside. I glanced back at Edward, expecting to receive a knowing smirk at my friend's expense, but he was distracted, frowning down at the box in his arms. I sighed.

In the living room, Alice and Jasper were clearly in the process of unpacking. Jasper stood in front of the fireplace, next to the greatest monstrosity of a coffee table I'd ever seen.

"Is that a wagon wheel?" I asked, acutely aware of Edward's movements. He'd sat the karaoke machine down in a corner and now stood in front of the screen-glass window that led to the backyard. Brooding. Great.

"It is," Jasper confirmed, rubbing at the blonde scruff on his chin. "It's a family heirloom, from the wagon my ancestors traveled west in during the 1840s. Jeb Whitlock turned one of the wheels into this coffee table when they made it to their homestead, and the table has been passed down ever since."

I fought to keep on my poker face. I knew how Jasper was about his history, so I didn't want to touch family history, but the table was truly the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.

Alice huffed, putting her tiny fists on her tiny hips. "Family heirloom or not, it clashes with the décor," she complained. "This thing can't stay in my house. It's hideous. Am I right, Bella?"

She rounded on me. Given the choice between pissing off Alice or Jasper, I would choose Jasper any day. He was nowhere near as scary as Alice.

"I'd…have to agree, yeah."

Jasper's mouth tightened and he drew his body into what I liked to think of as battle posture. "Let's get a man's input on this, shall we? Edward, what do you think?"

He turned, gave it a cursory glance, and shrugged. "It's interesting."

Then he turned back to the window. I watched him worriedly.

"Jasper, honey, I love you, but that table has got to go. It's just…in bad taste!"

Jasper scowled. "I have good taste!"

"Honey," Alice said patiently, "Everyone thinks they have good taste and a good sense of humor, but they can't possibly all have. Come now. I'm the expert on aesthetics, here. The table is _ugly_."

"You know, it's funny," Edward suddenly turned and said, his jaw set and his eyes a darker shade of green than usual. "We started out like this. Tanya and I. We picked out furniture, fought over what would go where, hung pictures. Then two years later, it all falls apart, and you get the delightful news from a nurse in pediatrics that your wife left you because she's fucking a lab tech!"

"Edward," I chastised. "Is this really the time?"

"No, I think this is exactly the time," Edward fumed, rounding on me. "Everyone's happy now, everyone's in love, but no one ever tells you at this stage that years down the road, you'll be doing twelve rounds over this coffee table – this stupid, wagon wheel, Oregon Trail coffee table!"

"I thought you liked it," Jasper said, wounded.

Edward let out a long sigh. "I was being nice."

And without further ado, he turned, stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled morosely out of the house.

I turned to Alice and Jasper apologetically. "He just…bumped into Tanya," I explained. "I should go check on him."

"Of course," Alice agreed, urging me out. "He needs you now."

I followed Edward's path out to the front porch, where he sat on the steps glaring at the street.

"Edward," I sighed, standing beside him.

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have done that," he admitted glumly, raking his hand through his hair.

"Edward, you're going to have to find a way of not expressing every feeling you have every moment that you have it," I said, trying to be gentle.

His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "Oh, really?"

"There are times and places for things, Edward," I told him. "Jasper and Alice didn't deserve that."

"Oh, please. Am I really getting a lecture from _you_ on this?" he asked acidly, standing up. He towered over me, and I took a step back, stung by his harsh tone. Edward and I had said plenty of rude things to each other, but always with a sort of affection. He'd never said an unkind word to me like he _meant_ it before.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means that you're just as messed up as I am! What gives you the right to tell me how to cope? You're blundering through this, just like me," he said, gesturing wildly.

"Oh, _that's_ rich. I think I'm handling my break-up just a _little_ better than you. At least I'm not sleeping my way through Chicago with anyone who will spread her legs! Is that what _you_ call coping?"

I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth, and I hated the stunned look on Edward's face.

"I haven't slept with anyone," he said quietly.

I snorted at his flimsy argument. "Oh, that's right. You've always left too soon to actually _sleep_ next to any of them."

"No," Edward huffed, closing his eyes. "I mean, I haven't had sex with anyone since Tanya. I lied."

I gaped at him. "_What?_ Why would you lie about a thing like that?"

"It just happened," Edward sighed. "Jasper was badgering me about it, so I told him I'd slept with Jane to get him off my back, when really I couldn't even make it past her apartment door after that nightmare of a date. And I told the lie to you because…because you seemed so ready to move on, and I didn't want to be left behind."

My heart sank with disappointment at his behavior, and I _hated_ that feeling. Even so, I felt relief – relief that I wasn't alone, that Edward was just as screwed up as I was, and relief that he hadn't given himself to just anyone.

"You should have told me, Edward. I can't believe you would…that's just…what if it had gotten back to her that you'd said you slept with her, Edward? What would you have done then? I mean, I just…I can't _believe_ you."

"Can I say something?" Edward asked quietly.

"Yeah," I waved him on.

His face softened, showing the vulnerability that so few knew was there. I couldn't believe I was among those few.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Bella, I'm sorry."

He moved toward me, and I found myself gravitating toward him as his arms enveloped me, swallowing up my tiny frame against his tall one, holding me tightly in apology and a plea for forgiveness.

I wrapped my arms around him, unable to resist, and squeezed back to show all was well. I felt his lips against my hair and let out a breath.

The front door opened behind us, and we pulled apart to find Jasper stumbling out, struggling with the infamous wagon-wheel coffee table.

"Don't say a word," he grumbled, lugging it toward the detached garage. Evidently, the family heirloom was going into storage. At least Jasper had learned early on not to bet against Alice.


	14. Fourteen: Restraint

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Restraint  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Restraint**

I knew Alice and Jasper's housewarming party was going to be unbearable. Alice had, at one point, known how to throw a party, but tonight she was playing Betty Crocker or something like that. Martha Stewart, maybe. Domestic goddess, in general. Alice had worked so hard to make this night perfect that we were having the party in June – two months after Alice and Jasper had actually moved in.

And she made us play Pictionary. I hated Pictionary – mainly because I couldn't draw, at all.

I stood exposed at the board. My team was composed of me, Alice, my date, Charles, and Rosalie's husband, Emmett. Edward had somehow lucked out and wound up on a team with Rosalie, Jasper, and his date, Makenna. I wanted to start hurling markers at them.

"It's a monkey!" Jasper shouted his first guess, which made me roll my eyes. I was _trying_ to draw a baby, but clearly, I wasn't doing a great job. "Monkey see, monkey do. Or an ape. Going ape!"

"It's a baby," Rosalie said dryly. She looked like she was dying of boredom. I pointed wildly at her to signal that I was, in fact, drawing a baby.

"Planet of the Apes!" Jasper persisted, gesturing with the beer in his hand.

"She just said it was a baby, moron," Edward groaned. "How about Planet of the Dopes?"

"It doesn't _look_ like a baby," Jasper complained, sitting back sulkily. I started drawing a mouth to go with my prompt – _baby talk_. How on earth were you supposed to illustrate something like that?

"That is one huge mouth," Edward chuckled. His eyes clearly showed his amusement at my expense. "Mick Jagger as a baby?"

"Who on earth is Mick Jagger?" Edward's very young date asked, and I wanted to use my marker to _stab_ her. Where did Edward find these women?

"I'll tell you later," Edward mumbled, clearly embarrassed for her.

"Baby ape!" Jasper declared, leaning forward again as though he'd had an epiphany.

"Would you _stop_ with the apes?" Edward said exasperatedly.

"Baby's breath?" Rose suggested, scowling.

"Rosemary's baby," Edward threw in with a sidelong smirk at Rosalie. She flipped him the bird.

"Kiss the baby."

"Ooh, baby, baby."

"Baby fish mouth, _baby fish mouth!_" Jasper cried, so triumphantly and with such conviction that I almost told him he was right, just to see the look on everyone's face.

Edward and Rosalie stared at him incredulously.

"Fifteen seconds now," Emmett choked out through his laughter.

"Baby boom."

"Baby…"

"Draw _something_ resembling _anything_," Jasper complained. I shot him a dirty look and continued drawing arrows from the mouth on the board.

"Baby, please come home."

"Baby spitting up? Exorcist baby?"

"Yes, sir, that's my baby," Rosalie offered.

"No, sir, don't mean maybe," Edward quipped, finishing the line. His lips twitched with suppressed laughter.

"That's it," Emmett declared. "Time's up."

I dropped my arms in relief and defeat. "_Baby talk_," I told them.

"Ohh," Edward said, nodding. "Okay, it makes sense now."

"Baby talk?" Jasper said incredulously. "What's that? That's not a _saying_."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Oh, because _baby fish mouth_ is sweeping the nation. I'm never picking you for my team again."

"Final score!" Emmett announced. "Our team, one-ten, your team, sixty."

"Damnit," Jasper sighed. He didn't take defeat well.

"Thank God _that's_ over," Rosalie said, flicking her perfect blond hair over her shoulder.

"It was fun!" Alice said indignantly.

My date came over to me while everyone in the room shuffled about. "I can't draw," I muttered, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

"No, no," Charles disagreed, shaking his head. "That's a baby, and that's clearly talking. You're wonderful."

I smiled half-heartedly, knowing he was lying and not really in the mood to take his overblown praise. I knew he was just trying to win me over, and I wasn't making it easy for him, but did he have to be quite _so_ cheesy all the time?

"Who wants coffee?" I heard Alice ask loudly, and everyone started putting in their orders.

"I'll help you," I offered, eager to get away from Charles for a few minutes.

As Alice and I worked our way to the kitchen, Makenna stepped forward. "Where's your bathroom?" she asked Alice.

"Just down that hall, first door on the left," Alice told her, pointing in the general direction. I watched Makenna kiss Edward's cheek on the way there and clenched my fists to keep from scowling. Part of me screamed that the girl was all wrong for Edward, and the part of me that wasn't a liar pointed out that I'd never want Edward with anyone but _me_.

In the kitchen, Alice got the coffee-maker running. She had one of the ridiculous machines that couldn't make a normal cup of coffee, but could make some of the most complicated concoctions Starbucks had ever invented.

"Do you think Makenna is a little young for Edward?" I asked Alice, playing it casual.

Alice snorted. "A _little_ young? I know she's legal, but that kind of age difference should still qualify as jailbait. I have to hand it to her, though – she has accomplished a lot for her age."

"What has she accomplished? She makes _perfume_," I groused.

"Uh, yeah, _five hundred bottles a week_," Alice replied.

"Wait a minute…" I turned to Alice, gaping. "Makenna is _Eau de Makenna_? As in, that pretentious shit they're always spraying at me in Macy's?"

"The very same," Alice agreed. "Stuff stinks, doesn't it? I don't get it. I don't know why she couldn't come up with a more creative brand name, either."

Alice flipped some switches on the monstrosity of a coffee-maker and turned back to me. "So, Charles seems really great."

"Yeah…he does, doesn't he?" I sighed. What a shame that he'd never live up to the man I really wanted.

* * *

"Jasper, were you going to show me the cover of your new book?" I asked, interrupting a conversation between him and Charles over whether Bella's drawing of a baby looked like an ape. I didn't care so much about Jasper's book cover; I just wanted to get him alone to ask about this Charles. The guy was a slimy creep, in my book.

"Sure, it's in my study," Jasper said, leading me down the hall to one of the spare bedrooms that had been converted into a home office.

"Your _study_? Pretentious much, Jazz?"

"Shut up, I've worked hard to be able to call a room my study! Alice wanted to turn it into a spare closet."

"What, the whole room?"

"The _whole_ room. That woman is insane, but I'll be damned if I don't love her for it."

I smiled genuinely. "_You're_ insane, but it works for you."

"So…Makenna seems…uh, nice," Jasper commented, sinking down into the leather swivel chair behind his desk. I shook my head at him.

"She has her charms, I suppose," I said, not wanting to talk about her just now. Truly, she was a bit of a moron, and entirely too young for me. I'd only brought her because I knew Bella was bringing a date.

"What do you think of Charles?" I asked Jasper, fiddling with a paperweight.

"He seems nice enough. You should talk to him, get to know him," he suggested pointedly, his ice-blue eyes letting me know without saying that he knew exactly what I was doing.

"He's too smarmy to talk to," I grumbled. "What's Bella doing dating a guy named Charles, anyway? Her dad is named Charlie. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah…kinda weird," Jasper agreed with a tilt of his head. "But not a character flaw."

"Don't ruin my fun, Jasper," I growled. "I want to hate the guy."

Jasper laughed lightly, his thoughtful expression turning to a wide smile. "All right, hate the guy. Just try to restrain yourself when you're in the same room with him, why don't you?"

I sighed. "If I must."


	15. Fifteen: Slip

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Slip  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Slip**

I groaned pitifully as I rolled over in bed to reach for my frantically ringing phone. Who would call at this ungodly hour? It was…oh…it was only nine in the evening. That's what I got for becoming a doctor – a skewed sense of time.

"Hello?" I answered without bothering to check the ID screen, scrubbing my face with my hand as if that would wake me up faster.

"Edward?" Bella's voice replied. _That_ woke me up. She sounded like she'd been crying.

"What's the matter, Bella? Are you all right?" I asked, sitting up in bed. The blankets slid down, and I shuddered at the sudden blast of cool air. I'd have to turn the heat on soon.

"Not really," she sniffled. "Peter's getting married."

I clenched my eyes shut and shook my head. That piece of shit. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes," I promised, already sliding out of bed. I tripped over my tennis shoes and barely kept my balance as I looked for a clean pair of pants.

"Thank you, Edward," Bella sighed. I'd go through all kinds of hell just to hear her say my name like that – like she needed me.

After shuffling into jeans, T-shirt, and tennis shoes – I didn't even take the time to put on socks – I threw on a jacket and grabbed my keys. I barely remembered to stick my wallet into my back pocket. Then I was out the door and in my car.

Bella's apartment was about fifteen minutes from mine in light traffic, but I somehow made it there in ten. I parked on the street and hurried to the buzzer to alert her to my arrival. She let me up immediately, waiting for my arrival, apparently, and I jogged up three flights of stairs, significantly out of breath by the time I reached the top. I sucked in air through my nose as I knocked on Bella's door.

"Edward," she greeted me with a sniffle, standing in the doorway in her Hello Kitty pajamas. Her brown hair was thrown up in a ponytail, and her eyes were red-rimmed. I stepped forward to pull her into a hug, but she was already headed back toward her bedroom. I shut the front door and locked it – you could never be too careful in the city – before following after her.

She sat curled against the pile of pillows at the head of her bed, clutching one to her chest as she stared bleakly ahead. I kicked off my shoes and sat beside her, waiting for her to talk.

"He called me, just out of the blue," Bella said. "He was going on and on about his practice and this conference he was going to, and I was bored out of my mind. I thought, 'I'm over him. I'm really, completely over him.' And then…then he drops the bombshell."

She laughed humorlessly. "Her name is Charlotte; she's his receptionist. They've been dating six months and he's sure she's the one. Six months. She should be his rebound, not _the one_."

I wrapped my arm around her, and she leaned gratefully into my side. "All along, I've been saying that he just wanted more than I could give. But the truth is, he didn't love me enough to wait. _I_ wasn't enough."

I shook my head vehemently. "That's bullshit, Bella."

"Is it?" she asked, pulling back to look at me. "I was always distant with him. Always. I wouldn't let him in, I –"

I cupped her chin in her hand, forcing her to keep eye contact. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe _he_ wasn't enough? Bella, you're amazing – smart, funny, interesting, beautiful. If he wasn't enough to make you say forever, then that's _his_ problem, not yours."

Bella smiled wryly, pink in the cheeks. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"It's not a matter of opinion; it's just empirical fact," I replied, dropping my hand away from her face before I gave into the temptation to run my fingers over her skin. Bella cuddled into my side with a sigh.

I brushed a few stray hairs away from her face. "Why don't I go make some tea or something?" I suggested. Girls liked tea when they were sad, right? Maybe I should have stopped for some cookie dough on the way over.

"No," Bella protested, fisting her hand in my shirt as I tried to get up. "Will you just…hold me for a little while?"

"Of course," I agreed, leaning back to get comfortable. I'd hold this woman all night if she'd let me. Man, she'd been right about me all along – I _was_ a girl.

Bella nestled into me like we did this all the time, and before long, I found myself gently removing Bella's hair from the ponytail holder. If she asked, I'd say it was for her comfort, but mostly, I just wanted to play with her hair. She let out a contented sigh as I ran my fingers through the locks, lightly rubbing her scalp.

"Thank you," Bella mumbled, nuzzling into my shoulder.

"Anytime," I replied, kissing the top of her head. She looked up at me, smiling, and my gut clenched. I _knew_ that look. I'd seen that look on other women, but never on Bella, that _please, please kiss me_ look. She leaned forward ever so slightly, and I lost all hope of resisting. If she wanted me, I was done holding back.

Closing the distance between us and pressing my lips to hers was entirely too easy. Effortless. Her lips felt as good as they had on New Year's, better, even, now that we were both on the same page. This was not a kiss between friends. This was a kiss of pure adoration – on my part, at least. But Bella's mouth moved hungrily against mine, and I had to believe this was mutual.

I cupped Bella's face in my hands, holding her to me lest she try to escape, and she responded eagerly, swinging her leg over to straddle my lap. With her body pressed close against mine, so warm and soft, I lost anything remotely resembling brain function. I'd wanted her too long to stop and ask questions. If the way she tugged at my hair was any indication, Bella had no desire to slow down, either.

When her tongue slid across my lips, I fell into a frenzy. My body moved instinctively to roll Bella onto her back and hover over her, my hips settling with ease between her legs. I let out an embarrassingly loud moan into her mouth as my very prominent erection met her heated center.

Bella responded by wrapping her legs around me, drawing me in closer. Desperate to catch my breath, I ran my lips down the column of her throat, but it didn't help much. I forgot to breathe once I got caught up in the taste of her skin.

Bella squirmed underneath me, and I detached my lips from her neck long enough to realize she was trying to push my jacket off. As I sat up and tugged it off, I met her eyes. They were excited and vulnerable and asking me for something – for once, I couldn't read her. I just hoped she wouldn't ask me to stop.

Her lips parted, but she didn't speak, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I lowered myself over her again, holding my body up on my elbows. Her arms wrapped around my torso, drawing me closer, and I captured her lips again. We kissed slowly this time, and I savored the softness of her lips and the sweetness of her mouth. Her hands kneaded my shoulders while she moaned softly into my mouth, and I began to relax. This was so, so _right_. I felt it in my bones. Bella had to feel it, too.

Kissing turned to touching. My hands continually searched for more skin, roaming under her T-shirt where they found her uncovered breasts. Her gasp tingled against my lips when my thumbs brushed over her nipples. God, she felt good. Feeling a woman's skin, just running my fingers along it, had never been this enjoyable, this fascinating for me. I could touch her for hours, just studying the dips and crevices of her body – her elbows, her knees, her belly button, all of it.

Somewhere amidst the flurry of hands and lips, our shirts came off. I feasted on what she offered me, working my mouth hungrily over her breasts and stomach. Bella's hands wound through my hair and held me to her. I reached the waistband of her pajamas and eased them down, giving her time to stop me, but she never did. I sat at her feet and looked up her body, from her skinny ankles to her purple cotton undies to her perfect breasts – really, my favorite pair of all time – and finally, I took in her face. Her wide eyes stared back at me, and her teeth dug into her full bottom lip.

"Bella," I sighed. Her name was the only word my mind could conjure. I wanted to drown in her.

Bella surprised me – she was always surprising me – by sitting up on her knees in front of me, and then her hands were on my jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping. I shuffled out of them and then I caught her in my arms again. I just wanted to kiss her until my lips fell off.

Her fingers wandered over my chest and down my stomach, tracing the ridges of muscle until her fingers dug into the waistband of my boxers. She looked at my face as she pulled them down, and I rid myself of those, too.

"Oh God," I groaned when her hand wrapped curiously around my shaft. Bella stroked a few times, and then I couldn't take it anymore. I urged her back on the bed and tugged off her panties. My eyes studied her, and hers studied me, and suddenly we were in motion. My body moved over hers, and she arched up to kiss me, and I pressed my fingers into the hot, wet flesh between her legs.

"Now," Bella breathed, clutching my shoulders. "Now, Edward."

I froze. "Do we need…?"

"I'm on the pill," Bella said, pulling her legs up along my hips.

"Okay," I breathed.

I sealed my mouth to hers and I pushed slowly inside her. Bella moaned against my lips and pushed back against me. The rest was effortless, a blur of heat and pleasure and _Bella_. Her strawberry scent filled my head, her body slid like silk against mine, her sighs made a sweet accompaniment to this act. Sex, lovemaking, whatever it was – it was unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

I pressed into her relentlessly, listening to her whimpers and moans increase in volume, feeling her fingernails dig into my skin. A sense of conviction settled in, telling me I should have been with this woman all along, that I'd wasted nine years not reaching for her. Well, I had her now, writhing beneath me, and I wasn't letting go.

"Edward," Bella cried, scaling up in pitch, and I knew intuitively that she was close. Thank God, because I wasn't going to last much longer with her so tight and hot around me. I drove harder, carefully angling my hips, and Lord help me, her eyes actually rolled back in her head. A loud moan tore from her throat, and her hips bucked into mine, and two thrusts later, she was clenching around me. With her gripping me so hard, I lost it seconds later, jerking into her like it was my first time. I couldn't even bring myself to be embarrassed about it. She felt too good.

As the haze receded, I felt Bella's breath panting against my cheek. I nuzzled into her neck, unable to express the sense of total contentment and complete satiation that had stolen over me. I rolled onto my back, pulling her with me. Bella reached over me to turn off the lamp beside the bed, and then she nestled down into my side.

I had every intention of laying in the dark and whispering sweet nothings to her like a lovesick fool, but with her pressed against me, so soft and warm, and with all kinds of happy, post-coital chemicals running through my system, I fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

It was the happiest sleep I'd ever had.


	16. Sixteen: Bound

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Bound  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Bound**

I woke up at five in the morning – I never could sleep a full night anymore. Years of hospital shifts had that effect. And when I had that thought, I realized I _was_ due at the hospital at six to start another crazy shift. _Shit_.

I nudged Bella beside me, trying to wake her. A smile spread across my face as I took her in. Her mouth hung open, causing a little pool of drool to form on her pillow. Better the pillow than me. Her hair piled around her head like a haystack. Damn, she was cute. I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and wake her up the fun way, but I had to get out of here if I was going to make it to work on time.

I shook her one more time, and when I received only a mumble for my troubles, I cut my losses. I'd just have to leave a note explaining and check in with her later, as much as I hated to do that. I'd take her out when my shift was over…surely Bella would understand. She wasn't the type of girl to throw a fit about this kind of thing.

I shuffled into my clothes and scrawled a note at her desk explaining the work situation and asking her to go to dinner with me that night after my twelve-hour shift. I would be exhausted, but I couldn't wait another day to see her.

I crept out of the apartment and into my car. Speeding back to my apartment to change, I hit Jasper's number on my speed dial. It rang three times before he answered.

"No one I know would call this early," Jasper groaned, and I heard Alice asking who the hell was calling in the background. "What's wrong with you, man?"

"I had sex with Bella last night," I blurted out.

"Well, shit, it's about time. Congratulations," Jasper said.

"I had to leave before she woke up," I admitted, wincing at myself.

"Dude, what the hell? _Bad_ idea. What were you thinking?" Jasper asked, growing increasingly louder. I heard Alice's voice in the background again.

"I had to go to work!" I defended. "I have to be there at six. I mean, I tried to wake her, but she was out cold, so I left a note."

"Okay, Edward…am I right in assuming you want to have an actual relationship with Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Of course," I said quickly.

"Then you gotta clear this up, and fast, before her girl-brain kicks in and starts assuming the worst."

"Okay. Yeah, sure. I asked her to dinner tonight, do you think that's enough?"

"Probably not. Who knows with women? Their brains work in mysterious ways."

* * *

I woke alone. I'd just been dreaming about waking up and crawling on top of Edward, and now I was alone.

Blinking slowly, I rolled onto my back, searching for signs of Edward. The side of the bed where he'd been laying was still warm. Maybe he was in the bathroom? No, the door was open and the light was off. In the kitchen. He had to be in the kitchen.

I sighed, closing my eyes again. I was still tired, and I guessed by the weak lighting in the room that it was still very early. Soreness lingered between my legs. I smiled. Last night had been…perfect. The minute Edward kissed me, Peter became a distant memory. Edward was simply above and beyond anything I'd ever known before. He was like my kryptonite, but in a good way – the moment his hands met my skin, my brain turned to total mush.

All I wanted now was to do it again.

After a few more minutes passed, Edward still hadn't returned, and I realized the apartment was too quiet. I sat up in bed, looking around. Edward's clothes were gone. A flash of white caught my eye, and I realized it was a piece of paper folded into a tent on my nightstand. My name was written across it in Edward's hand. For a doctor, he had alarmingly beautiful handwriting. Must have worked for him – who could forge something so beautiful?

I picked it up and flipped it open.

_Bella,_

_Sorry I had to leave. Have to be at work at 6. Tried to wake you, but you sleep like the dead. I've got a 12-hour shift, but I'd like to take you to dinner tonight. I'll call you._

_Edward_

I read it three times, trying to read between the lines. It was quick, brisk. No terms of endearment, no 'wish I could have stayed.' My stomach fluttered nervously, instinctively.

I did the only thing a girl could do at a time like this. I called my best friend.

"Not you, too," Alice greeted me, sounding groggy. "I just got back to sleep."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, too frazzled to put two and two together.

Alice yawned loudly. "Edward called Jasper like, half an hour ago. What's wrong with you people? Don't you sleep?"

"Edward called? What did he say?" I asked in a rush, pacing my room.

"I don't know. Jasper wouldn't tell me. Some kind of guy code thing or something. Bella, what's going on? Did something happen between you and Edward?"

I steadied myself with a deep breath. "Last night, I found out Peter was getting married, and I called Edward, and he came over, and we were talking, and next thing I know, we're having sex."

Alice let out an ungodly squeal. "You guys did it? Oh my GOD, finally. How was it? Is his dick, like, gigantic? Because you know, his hands are huge –"

"It was good. Really good. Or at least I thought it was, but maybe it wasn't, because he just left, and all he did was leave a note, and I'm freaking out, here, Alice. What if he thought it was bad? What if we can never be friends again after this? I can't –"

"Whoa, Bella, slow down. You sound like me," Alice snorted. "What did the note say?"

I read it to her. "What do you think it means?"

Alice sighed. "I think it means he was late to work and in a hurry, Bella. I can't believe _I'm_ the one saying this, but try not to overreact, okay? He's a guy. I know you're like BFFs and all, but guys get stupid after sex."

"But what if it was bad? What if he doesn't want me? If I see him tonight, and he tells me he'd rather just be friends, I don't know if my heart can take it."

"Your heart?" Alice repeated. "Bella…are you in love with him?"

I closed my eyes. "Yes. Maybe. Okay, yes. But how was I supposed to help it? I mean, he's…perfect."

Alice sighed. "See, this is why men and women can't be friends."

I groaned. "Goodbye, Alice."

"Try not to freak out!" Alice shouted at me before I hit the button to end the call.

Too late. I was already freaking out.

Edward called me over his lunch break to ask me to dinner, as promised. He sounded nervous, though, and my heart plummeted. He was going to say it was all a mistake, that it never should have happened.

I couldn't get anything done that afternoon after we'd agreed on a restaurant. I paced the apartment and considered my options.

I could wait for him to say it and choose my response. I could either tell him I agreed, it was a mistake, and let things go back to normal…but I didn't know if I could stand to hear it. Or I could argue that it wasn't a mistake and then have him never speak to me again.

No, neither of those would work.

My only choice, then, was to say it first. It would be like cutting off my foot to save my leg, but at least I would survive. I'd say, "Edward, it was a mistake." And then he would agree, and we'd finish our dinner, and I would go home and lick my wounds until I could see him again without bursting into tears.

* * *

I had just enough time to rush back to my apartment, shower, and put on some decent clothes before meeting Bella at our favorite Italian place. She'd mumbled on the phone earlier, a sure sign she was nervous. The only question was why.

If she'd decided she didn't want me, could I live with that? Yes, I decided, I could. If the choice was losing her forever or staying her friend in the hope that she would one day be ready for more, I would take friendship in a heartbeat. Just as long as I had some chance with her, someday, I didn't care how long I had to wait.

When I got there, Bella was waiting out front. Her eyes were downcast, staring at her shoes – a pair of heels that made her legs _that_ much sexier – and I grinned at the sight of her. As if she'd sensed my presence, she looked up and gave a tentative smile in return.

"Hi, Edward." She sounded shy, almost. I'd never known Bella to be shy. Maybe I should have tried harder to wake her this morning.

"Bella," I replied, trying to reassure her with a wider smile. "Ready to eat? I'm starved."

"Sure," she agreed with a nod, and we walked into the restaurant together. We were seated at a corner table for two, and Bella immediately turned to perusing the menu, even though we'd been here a million times, and she almost always got the same thing.

I tried not to let it bother me. We'd gone from friends to lovers and hadn't yet had a chance to talk about the change. There was bound to be some weirdness.

The waiter came, and we placed our orders. Like I suspected, Bella ordered the same thing she always did, which didn't give me a whole lot of confidence in broaching the conversation we needed to have.

I would have been too slow, anyway, because Bella opened her mouth as soon as the waiter left.

"Edward…last night was a mistake," she said quickly. My heart stopped. I was sure the rate at which my face fell must have been cartoonish to any onlookers. This was my worst-case scenario unfolding.

"You think so?" I croaked.

"Yes," Bella said slowly. "Not that it wasn't great, because it was, but it never should have happened in the first place. I think we should just go back to being friends."

I studied her face for a long moment. Her eyes were hard and her jaw was set. She was determined, I could see. I steeled myself, shutting away my heart, and nodded slowly.

"Okay. Friends," I agreed.

"Great," Bella said, but she didn't make it sound great, and her eyes met only the table until our salads arrived.

For the first time, we were quiet over dinner, and our minimal conversation was forced.

I ate quickly and tried to pinpoint the moment my life had gone from heaven to hell.

* * *

**A/N:** Don't kill me yet! I promise, I never do prolonged angst. Well, except when I'm writing with **Jacyevans**.


	17. Seventeen: Obsession

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Obsession  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Obsession**

After Bella ripped out my heart and stomped on it – okay, that was probably too harsh – I went home and did nothing for 18 hours by lie in bed and occasionally go to the bathroom. I was an idiot. I never should have kissed her, never should have thought it could be that easy. She'd been crying over her ex, for goodness' sake. How stupid could I be?

During the next few days, I worked, and I ate, and I slept, and I ignored a multitude of calls from Jasper and my parents. I let the voicemails sit. The one number I wanted to see never lit up my phone's screen, and I didn't feel like talking to anyone but her. She was the only one that could make it right.

After nearly a week passed and I didn't hear from her, I gave in. I called her.

_Hi, you've reached Bella Swan. I can't take your call right now, but please leave a name and number after the beep, and I'll get back to you_.

Her voicemail. I got her _voicemail_. I'd never once gotten her voicemail before. She'd always, _always_ picked up for me.

Had I ruined everything? Should I have argued my case that night at the restaurant? Told her I was crazy about her and couldn't stand her not being in my life? Would she be ignoring my calls if I'd told the truth?

After about twenty unanswered calls, I realized she _really_ didn't want to talk to me, and I tried to go about my life. I worked, I finally got back to Jasper and my parents, I bought groceries, actually did some laundry. None of it helped to take my mind off what was very much missing from my life.

"Why would she say she just wanted to be friends if she obviously didn't want to be friends?" I complained to Jasper, following him through a store that sold cowboy boots and belt buckles and other things that shouldn't be worn above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Jasper sighed in irritation, pausing to look at some leather chaps. I didn't _want_ to know what he'd do with those.

"Edward, I told you, it's female logic, and you fed right into it. She was probably expecting you to declare your love once she'd said her piece, and when you didn't, she took it as proof _you_ didn't want _her_. But you made the rookie mistake of thinking she actually meant what she said."

"Well, what do I do now? How do I fix this?" I whined, knowing I sounded like the woman Bella had always accused me of being.

Jasper turned to me and rolled his eyes. "Talk to her, genius."

"How am I supposed to talk to her when she won't answer my calls?" I grumbled.

Jasper shrugged. "Camp outside her door? Blare a boom box outside her window? I know – the wedding. She won't be able to avoid you at the wedding; you're the best man and she's the maid of honor. Talk to her then."

"The wedding," I agreed with a nod. "Okay."

* * *

For days after the awful dinner with Edward, I went over and over everything that had happened between us, trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. Edward was the one that had kissed me, after all. He'd definitely enjoyed himself; I knew he had. And he'd conked right out afterward, which made me think I hadn't been too clingy – he wasn't even awake to notice the way I did, admittedly, plaster my body to his. Had I done something during my sleep? Drooled, said something ridiculous, farted? What could have changed everything so fast?

I wanted to be angry at him, but it wasn't his entire fault. It wasn't his fault I felt too much, or that I hadn't said no, or that I wouldn't return his calls.

I wondered, at times, if maybe this was a case of what Edward had said years ago – that men were only friends with women because they hoped to one day have sex with them. Could it be true? But of course, I knew it wasn't. If all Edward wanted was sex, he could get it anywhere; he was gorgeous. And I could guess he hadn't been pretending to be my friend for a year, waiting for me to have a breakdown over my ex and invite him over.

It didn't make sense, and anyway, I knew Edward. He wasn't that guy.

I listened to his messages over and over again, but the mere sound of his voice made my heart hurt, and I couldn't bring myself to call him back.

"_Bella…haven't heard from you in a few days. Just wanted to check in."_

"_Since when do you let anything go to voicemail? I know where you live."_

"_Bella? What's going on with you? Alice tells me you're still alive, which leads me to conclude you're ignoring me…it hurts. I'm wounded here."_

"_Okay, Bella, I'm getting the impression that you never want to speak to me again. If that's the case, you might at least let me know so I can stop making a fool of myself on your voicemail."_

The calls stopped, and somehow that was worse. I picked up the phone a million times to dial his number, but every time, I remembered the smell of his sweat and the taste of his mouth and his heat inside of me, and I knew I wasn't ready. I wouldn't be able to talk to him without all my pent up emotions spilling over.

* * *

"Is Edward bringing anyone to the wedding?" I asked Alice quietly as she stood for her final dress fitting.

"He didn't RSVP that he was," Alice answered. "Don't know when he would have met someone, anyway. Jasper says all he does anymore is work and mope."

"Oh," I sighed. Well, at least he and I were in the same boat.

"Why aren't you returning his calls, Bella?" Alice asked over her shoulder, currently facing a mirror. "You _are_ the one who said you wanted to be friends. Clearly, he's trying to do that."

"I know," I said, choking on the words. "I just…it hurts too much, Alice. I want so much more from him than he's ever going to give me."

"Maybe. But you won't know that for sure until you ask him. How much worse can it get?"

I sighed. "Point taken."

Alice turned then, spreading out her arms to showcase her dress. "What do you think?" she asked. I looked her over seriously, knowing she wanted a serious answer. The strapless, floor-length white gown was striking against her dark hair and eyes. I smiled.

"Alice, you look beautiful."

* * *

I wasn't much for weddings – Tanya had turned ours into such a circus, I never wanted to attend one ever again – but Jasper and Alice had a beautiful ceremony. Though it was early November, they'd chosen to have an outdoor wedding in gauzy tent, allowing guests a peek at the fall foliage. Would have been freezing, too, if they hadn't rented out a liberal supply of space-heaters.

I'd like to say that the bride was beautiful and the vows were moving and all that, but my focus locked onto Bella when she strolled up the aisle behind Rosalie. The bridesmaids' dresses were strapless and deep green. Bella looked so good in green. And she had such beautiful shoulders.

I tried to pay attention to the service like a good best man, but Emmett still had to elbow me in the side when it was my time to hand over the rings. My eyes kept wandering back to Bella, who never took her eyes off Alice and Jasper, though I was desperate for just a fleeting second of eye contact. She'd avoided me like the plague at the rehearsal dinner, but I was bound and determined to talk to her during the reception. She wasn't getting away from me again.

I caught her while Alice and Jasper were sharing their first dance. She watched from a dark corner, clearly trying to hide. I wasn't having it. I sidled in beside her and caught her by the arm; she squeaked, startled, as she turned.

"Edward." Her face went pale. An unexpected wave of anger flooded me – how _dare_ she look so afraid at the sight of me? She was the one who'd broken _my_ heart.

"Bella," I greeted her, a little more coldly than I'd intended a few seconds ago. "Can we talk?"

Bella bit her lip. "Now? I don't think this is really the time –"

"Then when _is_ the time? Because you seem to be fairly busy these days, too busy to answer my calls. You said you wanted to be friends. Friends don't usually ignore their friends for weeks at a time."

Bella looked away uncomfortably. "Edward, things are just…different now. I was stupid to think we could be friends after that."

"So that's it? You don't even want to try?" I said incredulously. Bella's eyes pleaded with me to understand, and I lost it. "Jesus, Bella, you didn't seem to think it was a bad idea at the time. The way you were looking at me…I mean, what was I supposed to do?"

Bella stared at me for a long moment with tears welling up in her wounded eyes. "So what, you're saying you took pity on me? Is that it? Well, fuck you, Edward. If that's your idea of friendship, I don't want it."

She stormed off, leaving me momentarily stunned. Pity? _Pity?_ I'd been trying to explain to her that I'd lost all chance of resisting her that night, and she'd twisted that into pity in her head?

I scrambled after her, weaving through other wedding guests, desperately trying to catch up with her as she fled along the edge of the tent.

"Bella, wait," I hissed, nearly knocking over a waiter carrying a tray of full champagne glasses. "Bella, you completely misunderstood –"

"Can I have your attention?" Jasper's voice said through a microphone just as I was gaining on Bella. "Alice and I would like to kick of the toasts this evening. So raise your glasses, if you please, to Edward and Bella."

Bella froze, and I came to a halt right beside her, just as many pairs of eyes turned to gawk at us.

"We have Edward and Bella to thank for this day, you see," Jasper drawled with one arm around Alice. "If Alice or I had found either one of them attractive, we wouldn't be here today."

Laughter floated up from the crowd, and glasses clinked, and by the time I recovered, Bella had escaped again. For the rest of the evening, she did her level best to avoid me, always using another person as a shield between us, never letting me get too close.

What I'd thought before was completely wrong. This was the worst wedding _ever_.


	18. Eighteen: Alone

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Alone  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Alone**

If I'd thought the holidays last year were rough, I was sorely mistaken. Last year was paradise compared to this year.

For Thanksgiving, I had a turkey frozen dinner alone in my apartment because Alice and Jasper had invited Edward for dinner at their house, along with all our other friends, and I wasn't going to risk running into him. I couldn't afford to fly home for Thanksgiving, either, when I'd already booked tickets for Christmas.

Christmas was worse, if possible. Going home to Forks had been more fun with Edward at my side; this trip, in contrast, was lonely. I'd booked a non-stop flight to Washington, which should have been nice, but I found myself longing for a layover when I was sandwiched between two middle-aged men, both of whom continually leered at me and one who kept "accidentally" bumping into me. To add insult to injury, Charlie had started dating a local widow who had offered to prepare dinner – probably trying to make a good impression on her new boyfriend's grown daughter. Without any cooking to do, I was left to sit in the living room with Charlie, watching _A Christmas Story_ and feeling like a third wheel.

All the while, Edward kept calling and calling, and I wished he would just let me wallow in peace. He would never see me the way I saw him. What was the point in drawing out the agony?

"_Bella…what I said at the wedding didn't come out right at all. It wasn't pity. Far from it. Just…please pick up? I want to talk to you."_

I erased that one quickly. If it wasn't pity, what was it? What could it possibly be when he showed himself to be completely unaffected by my presence?

"_Bella, you can't avoid me forever. I know where you live. I'm not above stalking. Pick up the phone."_

But he never did stalk me, and I erased that message, too.

"_If you don't talk to me soon, I'm going to start reading Dickens to your voicemail. I know how much you hate Dickens. Don't think I won't do it."_

"'_It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…'"_

By the time I was back in Chicago after Christmas, he was nearing the end of _A Tale of Two Cities_, and I received constant reports from my phone that my voicemail inbox was at capacity.

Then the songs started. He actually started singing to me over the phone, and playing his piano, too, which made me want to cry more than anything else he'd done. All he managed to do was make me fall more in love with him, and that only emphasized the fact that we would never be more.

Two days before New Year's Eve, he called again.

"_Bella, pick up the phone or I'm coming over there and camping outside your door until you –"_

"Hi, Edward," I sighed, knowing it would be easier to deal with him over the phone than in person.

"Bella," he breathed, full of relief. "Hi. Uh. How have you been?"

How had I been? There was no good answer to that question. "What do you want, Edward?" I asked, trying to keep any emotion out of my voice. Whatever happened, Edward couldn't know how much this was hurting me, how much his indifference to our night together had devastated me. He couldn't know I'd fallen completely and helplessly in love with him. Then he really would look at me with pity, and I couldn't handle that.

"I just…I miss you, Bella. Can't we talk this out at all? I mean, if you really think we made a mistake, it was still just _one night_. Are you going to let one night get in the way of our entire friendship?"

His voice pleaded me, so sad and so lonely that my heart ached in sympathy. "What do you want me to do, Edward?" I asked helplessly.

Edward breathed deeply on his end of the line. "We could ease back into things," he offered. "What about New Year's? Are you going to Jasper and Alice's party? Because I don't have a date…and we agreed last year that if neither of us had a date, we'd go together…so if you don't have a date…."

I closed my eyes hard, as if I could put a dam up against the sadness. He was calling because he felt lonely, because he wanted someone and I was convenient, and _not_ because he wanted me specifically.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Edward," I said finally. I had to clear my throat. "Maybe I could be your friend, eventually, but I can't – I can't be your consolation prize. Look, I'm sorry, I've got to go. I was just heading out when you called. Maybe…maybe we can talk after New Year's."

"Bella –" Edward started to say, somehow managing to sound frantic in one word.

"Bye, Edward," I cut him off, hanging up the phone. I wished I really had somewhere to go, because my apartment suddenly felt stifling, too big and too small all at once. For the first time, I hated my job – it had seemed so convenient, being able to work from home, but now I would have given anything to be able to escape to an office and drown my sorrows in work. Edward lingered in every part of my apartment, worse than a ghost because I knew he had no unfinished business here.

I just couldn't live like this anymore. As much as I wanted my future to be with Edward, I had to accept the impossibility of that hope. I had to move on and face life without him.

The first step would be the New Year's Eve party, I decided. I would go no matter what. If I had to face Edward there, then so be it. I would be a good soldier. It didn't matter that I had no one to kiss at midnight. I might never again have someone to kiss at midnight, if I was being honest with myself. That would just have to become my reality.

Resigned, I picked up the phone and hit number two on the speed dial.

"Hi, Alice," I said when she picked up. "Want to help me find a dress for your party?"

* * *

**A/N:** Go easy on Bella, darlings. Some of us are just wimps when it comes to love.


	19. Nineteen: Earnest

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Earnest  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Earnest**

I well and truly hated what my life had become.

The holidays were completely miserable. Alice and Jasper invited me over for Thanksgiving, and I went, hoping Bella would be there, but she didn't show. I spent the day surrounded by blissfully happy couples while I gorged myself on too much food to try to drown my sorrows. Later that night, Jasper and Emmett tried to really drown my sorrows with whiskey. I didn't put up much of a fight.

Christmas was just as lonely. My mother insisted I come home, even though I'd considered staying in Chicago and working. Even going home, I was haunted by memories of Bella from her visit the year before. I considered staying on the highway and driving all the way to Forks to try to corner her at her dad's house – he liked me, I was sure – but in the end, I chickened out. I sat around the house with my parents, with my mom asking me when I was going to "get back out there" and my dad droning on about the latest medical studies. I just wanted to mope in peace.

The one thing I did with gusto during the holidays was harass Bella's voicemail. She left me no choice. If she was going to pretend this was okay or that our friendship could be tossed aside so easily, then I was going to make sure she paid dearly for it. I would irritate her to death if I had to, and if she happened to pick up the phone in the meantime, even better.

She finally picked up a couple days before New Year's Eve when I was threatening to camp outside her door – and I meant it. I'd already pulled out my ancient sleeping bag and laced up my tennis shoes.

"Hi, Edward," her voice answered, reluctant and exasperated. It stung.

"Bella," I breathed, trying to control my suddenly racing heart. "Hi. Uh. How have you been?"

Could I be more of a moron? I finally had her on the phone, and that was the first thing that came from my mouth?

"What do you want, Edward?" she asked, definitely exasperated, and that riled me.

"I just…I miss you, Bella," I sighed, hating that I was the only one swallowing my pride. Wasn't she affected? Didn't she feel my absence in her life like a gaping hole, or was I really alone? "Can't we talk this out at all? I mean, if you really think we made a mistake, it was still just _one night_. Are you going to let one night get in the way of our entire friendship?"

"What do you want me to do, Edward?" she asked with a note of vulnerability in her voice that I hadn't heard in months. I clung to it like a lifeline.

"We could ease back into things," I suggested, hoping and praying she would take me up on this offer. "What about New Year's? Are you going to Jasper and Alice's party? Because I don't have a date…and we agreed last year that if neither of us had a date, we'd go together…so if you don't have a date…."

I held my breath, waiting for her reply. She had to say yes. I couldn't handle another rejection. I needed her to give me a chance, just one opening to fix things between us.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Edward," she croaked, then cleared her throat. I shut my eyes, feeling my chest tighten in pain and disappointment. "Maybe I could be your friend, eventually, but I can't – I can't be your consolation prize. Look, I'm sorry, I've got to go. I was just heading out when you called. Maybe…maybe we can talk after New Year's."

Consolation prize? _Consolation prize?_ Maybe I didn't understand this woman at all. Maybe we were on such different pages that we weren't even in the same book anymore.

"Bella –" I began, ready to convince her that I saw her as so much more than a consolation prize, but she cut me off as effectively as if she'd been wielding a hatchet.

"Bye, Edward." I heard the click of the call disconnecting, and I sunk into my couch with a groan. How much worse could this get?

* * *

New Year's Eve. Jasper had confirmed to me that Bella would, in fact, be attending their party, and even though it was the opportunity I'd been waiting for, I opted to stay home. Hurt and angry, I was ready to give up. It was her turn to make a step forward – the ball was completely in her court.

I watched lame countdown specials on TV and chowed down on cookie dough. If I didn't stop binge eating, I was going to get flabby – God, I was such a woman.

At eleven, the ball dropped on every single channel. "Stupid live specials," I grumbled to myself. "Don't they know three-fourths of the country are in different time zones?"

I turned off the TV, resigned to going to bed early. I shuffled into my bedroom and looked for my comfort pajamas – yes, I was a girl, that was that. I found the flannel pants, but not the T-shirt. I had to have that T-shirt. Where the hell was it? I hadn't worn it in weeks, so it shouldn't be in the laundry…. There was no way on earth I'd put the shirt in a different drawer. My drawers were as organized as Bella's bookshelves –

_Bella_. Oh, hell, Bella. Bella had my T-shirt; she'd picked it out one night when she'd been watching movies at my place and had worn it home. I'd never asked for it back, liking the idea that a piece of me remained with her.

I closed my eyes, struggling to breathe. She had a piece of me always – more than a piece. I was completely hers, and as much as I tried to go on with my life, I _couldn't_. Bella was so essential, and now I had nothing of her…nothing, when I wanted everything.

I looked helplessly around my bedroom. There was no way I'd be able to sleep now. What was Bella doing? Was she dancing with someone at the party? Was she going to kiss someone at midnight?

_No_. No, she couldn't. I wasn't having it. I loved that woman beyond sanity, and I wasn't about to give her up to some other man who wouldn't know her half as well or love her a quarter as much.

I didn't even bother to change into decent clothes before throwing on my coat, grabbing my wallet and keys, and rushing out the door. 11:15. Forty-five minutes to get out to the ballroom Alice had rented for her party and find Bella.

Starting the car, I hit the gas hard. Nothing was going to get in my way.


	20. Twenty: Awe

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Awe  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

Decided to put you out of your misery sooner.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Awe**

I was such an idiot. Did I really think I could put on a pretty dress and suddenly make this night bearable? Did I really think I could talk and laugh and behave like a normal person when the ache of Edward's absence tainted every minute?

I hung back behind Alice and Jasper, who were busy entertaining their guests. Alice kept foisting single men at me, claiming that nothing lifted a girl out of a funk like some heavy flirtation. As much sense as her theory made, I had to conclude that I was an exception to the rule.

I only wanted Edward, and I'd probably ruined that for good.

The clock was creeping toward midnight, and I watched men and women pair off into couples, preparing for their midnight kisses. Alice turned to Jasper nearby, whispering something into his ear that made him laugh.

A pang of acute loneliness struck my chest, and I felt my breath grow short. I had to leave. Now.

"Alice," I shouted over the loud music, moving toward her. "Alice, I'm leaving."

"What?" Alice shrieked. "Bella, you can't! It's almost midnight. Just stay a few more minutes."

"I know, Alice, but I just can't," I pleaded, hoping she would let me go without a fight. "I thought I'd be able to handle it, but the thought of watching hundreds of happy couples kissing at midnight – it's just too much."

"Aw, stay, Bella," Jasper urged, winding his arm around a frowning Alice. "_I'll_ kiss you if it makes you feel better."

I snorted. "Thanks, Jasper, but I just want to go home. Alice, I'll call you tomorrow, I promise."

"But Bella, you said yourself you'll never move on if you keep avoiding –"

"I know what I said, Alice, and I came here tonight, didn't I? It's just more painful than I thought it would be. Baby steps, okay?"

"Okay," Alice sighed, stepping forward to hug me tightly. "Be careful going home."

"Thanks," I breathed.

Working my way through the crowd was difficult. Everyone had congregated toward the center of the room, ready for the big moment, and just as I stepped into open space, the one-minute countdown started up. I groaned and walked faster, closing the distance between me and the double doors. When I was a few yards away, the doors flew open, and there he was.

Edward.

I froze, watching his eyes cast around the room before they landed squarely on me. He strode forward purposefully and unselfconsciously, even though he wore jeans and a tan sweater under his heavy wool coat in a room full of suits and ties.

"Bella," he said softly, an arm's breadth away.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" I asked, uncertain. Maybe he hadn't come for me at all.

Edward wet his lips and took a deep breath. "Bella…you know that Northwestern shirt you borrowed from me?"

I frowned, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "You…want it back or something? I can just mail it to you…"

"No, Bella, that's not – I mean, I do want it back, but – Bella, what I'm trying to say is that when I noticed that shirt was missing tonight, I realized something will _always_ be missing if you're not in my life. I love you."

My heart pounded and I looked away. "Edward, you can't just throw that word around." I tried to skirt around him and break for the door, but his hands caught my upper arms.

"You think I don't mean it, I know. But Bella, I've been in love with you for so long. I love you now, and I'll love you for the rest of my life. You said you didn't want to be my consolation prize, but you don't get it – you're the _grand prize_, Bella. You're everything I never knew I wanted. I mean…I love that you still wear those ridiculous Hello Kitty pajamas, and I love that you put up with me taking ten minutes to order a sandwich, and I love that no matter what I'm doing, I know it will be better if you're there."

I struggled to breathe, trapped by his green eyes staring so intently at me, words catching in my throat. The people around us started counting – ten seconds to midnight.

Edward stepped closer, trailing his hands down my arms to twine my fingers with his, speaking quietly and intensely. "Bella, I've messed everything up so far, but you have to know, I never thought making love to you was a mistake, and I don't want to be just friends. You asked me what I was doing here – I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

The crowd erupted around us, but I gaped at Edward, unable to fully comprehend what he was telling me, but knowing it was the answer to all my wildest hopes. This couldn't be real. I was awestruck.

"Say something, Bella," Edward pleaded.

I shook my head, floundering for words. "You're so – you just – why couldn't you have written all that in your morning-after note?" I cried while tears began to flow. My tear ducts had apparently understood what was happening before my brain.

Edward's face lit up with a wide smile. "Because I'm a hopeless idiot, but I hope you're willing to overlook that."

I sniffled back my tears. "I think I have to, Edward, because I'm in love with you. I'm clearly beyond help."

Edward swooped in, crushing his lips to mine and pulling me against his chest. The noise of the party around us faded into the background and my head swam with Edward. He smelled like breeze off the Pacific, cool and refreshing, and his lips were sweet. I tasted chocolate and sugar...cookie dough, I realized, chuckling against his lips. The flavor made me nostalgic, and I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Edward, to get back to the comfort we'd always enjoyed in one another.

I pulled back, and he smiled serenely down at me.

"Take me home, Edward?" I asked.

He nodded. "Let's go."


	21. Twenty One: Willing

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Willing  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One: Willing**

Edward took me to his apartment at my request. When we walked in, I saw why he wanted to go to my place – the living room was a disaster area, with emptied packaging for various processed foods littered across the coffee table. I glanced at his face. He was actually blushing.

"I've been kind of…uh…hungry lately," Edward said, rubbing the back of his neck.

I tried to keep a straight face. "This looks worse than any case of PMS I've ever had."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it already, I have some girlish behaviors. I've been kind of depressed," he shrugged uncomfortably.

Depressed. If he loved me as much as he said – I was still working on full comprehension – then I must have made him miserable, avoiding his calls and refusing him at every turn. I winced. I was a horrible person.

"Edward, I'm sorry," I blurted out, turning toward him. "I overreacted and interpreted everything the wrong way, and I shouldn't have been so hasty. I just…I was so afraid of getting hurt. I didn't want to hear from your lips that you didn't want me. I couldn't have survived it."

"Shh, Bella, Bella," Edward hushed me, drawing me into his arms. "I understand it, really, I do. But couldn't you feel it? Every time I touched you, couldn't you feel it? I thought I was so transparent."

"I felt it," I said, nuzzling into his neck. He hadn't shaved in a few days. "It was when you were gone that I wasn't so sure. I thought maybe I'd imagined it all."

"You're not that creative," Edward joked, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. "You know, I think I've been a bit enamored of you from the moment we met? I never could quite shake the memory of you. I'm so happy I found you again."

I stood up on tiptoes to press my lips to his. We kissed slowly, savoring the sensation, and I flattened my palms against his chest, feeling out the solidity and definition of his body. His shoulders and back were broad, and I felt small in his arms. Small, but safe, because I could also feel his respect and total acceptance of me. That was something I'd never known before.

"I meant to tell you," Edward said, pulling back minutely, "you look beautiful tonight. That…is quite a dress."

I grinned. Alice had practically shoved me into the electric blue dress as soon as she laid eyes on it. I fell in love when I realized what wonderful things the cut did for my cleavage. "I'll admit, I was kind of hoping you'd show up to the party and fall at my feet when you saw me in it."

Edward laughed. "I would have fallen at your feet, regardless. But the dress is very sexy," he sighed.

"Thanks," I smiled down at my shoes.

"Listen, Bella…we don't have to do anything tonight, if you don't want to," Edward said. "I know you wanted to come over, but I don't want you to feel pressured – we can take this slow."

"You don't think I invited myself over to snuggle, do you?" I asked, smirking.

His gaze sharpened. "I just want to make sure you're one-hundred percent willing the next time we make love."

I tilted my head to the left. "What makes you think I wasn't the first time? In fact, I was still one-hundred percent willing the next morning, which you would have known if you hadn't rushed off to work."

I watched Edward's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "That still doesn't tell me anything about how willing you are now."

"Edward? I'm just a little bit _more_ than willing," I insisted. "Are you?"

Edward laughed shakily. "What kind of idiotic question is that?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, locking my eyes on his chest. "I think we've already established that I'm an idiot. And I would understand if you were reluctant to just…dive back into this, after how I've behaved. Maybe I've hurt you too much."

Edward nudged my forehead with his. "I'd dive into anything with you, Bella."

My breath caught in my throat. No one had ever said anything that ridiculously romantic to me before; clearly, he was trying to kill me.

"Take me to bed, then," I said, peeking up at his face. He let out a breath and wet his lips, while his fingers clenched on my hips. My body tightened in response. "Please."

That single word urged Edward into action. He backed me toward his bedroom, catching me when I stumbled on my heels, but never pausing. I wasn't about to argue. Inside the bedroom, Edward shut the door behind us – I wasn't sure why, since it wasn't like anyone was going to walk in, but I kept my mouth closed. Until he kissed me, at least, and then I threw my arms around his neck and opened eagerly for him.

He groaned into my mouth, our tongues twining, and his fingers fumbled at the zipper of my dress, tugging it down to where it stopped at my lower back. His fingers trailed back up, and I felt his lips turn to a frown against mine. He pulled his face back. "No bra?"

"Didn't really work with the dress," I explained, pulling up on his sweater. The fabric sent his hair into a frenzy as it dragged over his head. I stretched up to kiss him again, but he was still frowning.

"What's the matter?"

"You went to the party without a bra? How many men were there to see you without a bra?"

"Relax, Edward. I was sitting in a corner most of the night, moping over you," I told him, poking him in the ribs. "Aren't you kind of focusing on the wrong thing here?"

Edward nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. No bra means that dress needs to go, _now_," he declared, pushing the straps from my shoulders. The dress puddled at my feet.

"Beautiful," Edward sighed, grazing the right side of my body with the back of his hand. "I should have told you the first time how beautiful you are."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "I think I like it better when you show me, though."

Edward smiled dangerously and nudged me back onto the bed. I lay back and watched while he shed the rest of his clothes – undershirt, shoes and socks, jeans, boxers. I could have helped, but I was enjoying the view. Edward had a long, leanly muscled body, truly a sight to behold. If I could get away with it, I'd take a photo of him – naked and erect like he stood now – blow it up, and use it as wallpaper.

Edward prowled over me and kissed my lips. I responded distractedly, arching my body upward to rub against him, and he made a throaty sound against my lips. The next few minutes were a blur as Edward pulled my body tight to his and kissed me harder, his hands roaming from my shoulders to my legs and exploring every nook and cranny in between. I tried to continue breathing.

"Need you now," Edward mumbled against my jaw.

"Yes," I hissed while his mouth sucked at my neck.

His broad hands spread my thighs wider, and with an effortless thrust, he was inside of me. I whimpered at the fullness. None of my past lovers had ever had this effect on me, like he was tailored to fit me.

I wound my legs around his hips and buried my fingers in his hair as he began to move. His head fell to my shoulder and his lips moved restlessly over my skin. I could feel his every little sound vibrating from his mouth.

"So good," he groaned, grinding his hips against me with every thrust. I whimpered my agreement.

Edward was relentless, untiring. Though sweat gathered on his brow, he had yet to show any intent of slowing down when I felt my orgasm building. I gasped and untangled my legs to dig my heels into the bed.

"Close?" he asked, nipping at my earlobe.

"Yes," I breathed, raising my hips to his.

Edward swiveled his hips harder, faster. "Yes, sweetheart, let me feel it," he moaned against my jaw, and I lost it. My orgasm crashed over me, sending all my nerves firing. I cried out and clung to him as he continued to move, drawing out the beautiful, overwhelming sensations. My body floated weightless, held down only by his sturdy weight.

Edward caught my lips, allowing me to feel his deep groan when he released inside me. An aftershock wracked my body, and I held tight to him until it subsided.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to Edward's body wrapped like a vice around me. Spooned close behind me, his arms were tight around my torso, and one of his legs kept mine trapped.

I smiled. Even though I was sweating from his body heat, and even though I felt an urge to move so strong it was almost painful, this was so much better than waking up alone.

Edward made a grumbling, man sort of noise as he woke and nuzzled his face into my hair. I squeezed the arm thrown over me to let him know I was awake.

"Good morning," he sighed with a smile in his voice. "Did you sleep well?"

"Beautifully," I said. His arms loosened enough for me to roll over and face him. "You?"

"Beautifully," he echoed, grinning. "You're so damned cute in the morning."

I could only imagine, with my hair frizzy and tangled and creases on my face from the pillow.

"Likewise," I said, taking in his chaotic hair and rosy cheeks. We were quiet a moment. "So…what now?"

"What now what?" Edward asked, brows furrowed in befuddlement.

"Where do we go from here?"

Edward smirked. "Oh, that. Well, I thought we might go out to the kitchen and find some breakfast –"

"That's not what I meant," I sighed.

"I know it's not. Okay, fine," Edward said, propping his head up on his hand. "Would you like to hear the plan?"

I blinked. "The plan? You have a plan?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Surely you've realized by now that I plan for everything."

I nodded, acknowledging that. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Well, for the first part of the plan," Edward began, "I'm going to take you out. Dinners, movies, concerts, museums, whatever you want."

"Uh…and how is that any different from what we did before?" I wondered.

"Well, you're finally going to let me pay, and I'll be holding your hand," Edward clarified. I wanted to argue with the paying part, but my brain turned to mush at the mention of hand-holding.

"And the rest of the plan?"

"If phase one goes well, I suppose the next stage would be to convince you to move in with me. And if that works out as nicely as I expect it to, then one day I'll ask you to marry me, and we'll be the most sickeningly happy couple there ever was."

I stared at him, speechless. He started to look worried. "Too much?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm just waiting for my body to melt into a puddle of goo, that's all."

Edward laughed. "Well, don't do that. I don't know how to get 'goo' out of my sheets. Now, breakfast?"

"Breakfast," I agreed, pausing to watch him climb out of bed. There was just one flaw in his plan that I could see – we were already sickeningly happy.


	22. Twenty Two: Honest

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Honest  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Honest**

My plan for my relationship with Bella was the best plan I'd ever had, I decided. We were moving into a new place today, two months after we'd begun 'dating,' foregoing the history attached to our respective apartments to start our history together. We'd opted for another apartment in the city, though we'd considered houses in the suburbs – it just made sense for us to stay in the city, for the sake of my commute and for Bella's sanity.

Emmett and Jasper had been recruited to help me lug boxes and furniture up the stairs while their wives 'helped' Bella unpack. As far as I could tell, Bella was the only one actually unpacking, but I knew better than to say anything about it. Bella could probably use the assistance, though, because _cripes_, she had a lot of stuff. Excuse me, correction: she had a lot of _books_. Unlike any normal girl, she only had two boxes for clothes, one for shoes, and _five_ for her books.

Books were much, much heavier than shoes.

"Jesus, what's your girlfriend got in here, body parts?" Emmett griped. I ignored him. He wasn't the one stumbling _backwards_ up the stairs, after all.

Each box of books took us five minutes to get up the stairs, and by the time the last one was dropped with a thud next to the bookshelf, I was ready for a break. I collapsed readily onto our very new, very comfy couch, and the cushion sank as Bella plopped down beside me.

"How's it going?" she asked, pushing my sweaty hair away from my forehead.

"Okay. Not too much left. The worst is over. You?"

"The bedroom and kitchen are done. I even got sheets on the bed," she said proudly. I was vaguely aware of Jasper and Rosalie arguing over what kind of pizza to order for dinner when we were done, but something Bella said caught my attention.

"The bedroom? You didn't put my clothes away, did you?"

Bella stared flatly at me. "This is going to be one of those things, isn't it? One of your weird little neuroses?"

"It's just easier for me when everything is organized by season…you should try it sometime. I could organize your side of the closet, if you'd like."

Bella rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I don't need you rubbing off on me more than you already have."

"Ha, that's what she said!" Emmett interrupted with a burst of laughter. Bella rolled her eyes a second time.

* * *

We'd reached our six-month anniversary (which Bella hadn't noticed at all, as far as I could tell). Four months of living together. Even though Bella still persisted in putting our tomatoes in the vegetable drawer, no matter how many times I insisted they were fruit, I knew I couldn't go a day without her now. Sleeping without her warm weight next to me would be impossible; work would be unbearable if I didn't have her quiet presence waiting for me at home; even opening up the sock drawer and not seeing her tiny girl-socks next to mine would be devastating.

Asking her to marry me was a no-brainer, just like I'd thought it would be. I didn't feel a second's hesitation about it – a sharp contrast to the months I'd spent agonizing over whether to ask Tanya.

Clearly, I should have asked Bella out way back in college. Like, five minutes after Angela had dumped me. We could have saved so much time.

Finding the perfect ring, on the other hand, was the greatest dilemma I'd ever faced. I dragged Jasper to nearly every jewelry store in Chicago, even though he was utterly useless. He thought I should pick out the biggest diamond I could afford and be done with it – and that was exactly what I'd done with Tanya, truth be told, and the diamond hadn't been big enough for her taste. Bella, though, was unique, the love of my life, and I wanted a ring that said just that.

I finally found it in a store that sold antique items – mostly clothing, but some jewelry, too. While Jasper found himself distracted by Civil War uniforms, I found the perfect ring nestled in a tray of mismatched pieces.

It was a perfect white pearl, couched in tiny diamonds on a silver band.

"That one," I announced, and the elderly clerk hummed in approval.

"An excellent choice," he said, but I didn't need him to tell me that. I could already see the ring perched on Bella's finger.

* * *

I thought of a million different scenarios for the perfect proposal, and out of those, I realized Bella would hate about 99.9% of them. In the end, I opted to lure her into a walk along the lake shore and ambush her with the ring.

Yes, ambush. This proposal business was just like warfare, as far as I was concerned.

I was ridiculously nervous because I still hadn't decided what I was going to say. When I asked Jasper for advice, he shrugged and suggested I watch some romantic movies for inspiration. Then Alice had waltzed in, evidently having been eavesdropping on our conversation, and announced that whatever I said had to be spontaneous and honest if I really wanted to impress Bella.

Spontaneous. I was horrible at spontaneous. But honest, I could do.

After that, I knew I had to propose fast before Alice couldn't take it anymore and spilled the beans to Bella.

Bella was chattering on about something she'd heard on the news today, and I was trying to pay attention, but my mind kept wandering back to the velvet box in my pocket.

"Edward, are you listening?" Bella asked, poking me in the side. I turned apologetically and took her in. She was enchanting in a yellow sundress with summer freckles across her nose.

"Sorry, I just…have something on my mind," I said truthfully.

Bella frowned in concern. "You've been distracted all night. What's the matter?"

I took her hand and kept us strolling along. I had a specific spot in mind, and we weren't there yet.

"I've been wondering something," I ventured, glancing tentatively at her. "I know you didn't want to marry Peter, but...is that because of him, or because you don't want to get married at all?"

Bella bit her lip. "I didn't want to get married when I was with Peter, no. But everything is different with you, Edward, you must know that."

"Good," I said, bringing us to a stop at the place I'd picked out – a spot with a fantastic view of the city lights over the lake. "Because that would ruin what I'm about to do next."

Bella opened her mouth to question me, but snapped it shut when I lowered myself onto one knee at her feet. I tried to read her expression – there was shock, of course, but I couldn't tell yet whether it was happy shock. I soldiered on, pulling the ring box out of my pocket.

"You already know how I feel about you, so I'll keep this short and sweet," I said with a very dry mouth. "Isabella Swan, I promise to love you forever — every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

I opened the ring box. Bella gaped at me for a long moment, so long that I truly feared she would reject me. I knew marriage wasn't high on her list of priorities, but I didn't think she was opposed to it altogether. I hoped she wasn't opposed to marrying _me_.

"Yes," Bella finally whispered, so softly that I was afraid I'd imagined it.

"Yes?" I asked for confirmation.

She nodded. "Yes, I want to marry you, Edward."

"Thank you," I sighed, never more relieved in my life, and I slid the ring onto her left hand before standing up. She looked at the ring, then looked at me, and then her arms were around my neck in a fierce hug.

"I hope that means you like the ring," I said, winding my arms tightly around her.

"It's beautiful, Edward," she sighed, pressing her cheek against my neck. "Where did you find something like this?"

"An antique shop," I replied. I didn't tell her that I'd spent several weekends scouring the city. That could stay between me and Jasper.

"I love you," Bella whispered, kissing my jaw. "Thank you for wanting to marry me."

I laughed. "No, thank you for saying yes. I might have died if you'd refused."

"You're so melodramatic."

"No, seriously. I might have had a heart attack right here on the sidewalk and keeled over. I'm getting on in years, you know."

Bella pulled back with a snort. "You are not."

"I am," I argued seriously. "I'm going to be 40."

"In nine years, old man," Bella said dryly. "I don't think we need to buy you a walker yet."

"Don't mock," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist and guiding her in the direction of the car. I wanted to get home to celebrate. "You're going to be thirty."

"You're not supposed to talk about a woman's age, Edward, it's un-chivalrous," Bella complained.

"Like you ever worry about your age. Or chivalry, for that matter."

Bella grinned. "I'm glad I'm marrying a man who knows me so well."

* * *

**A/N:** Three more chapters to go. I hope you all like fluff, because that's all I have left.


	23. Twenty Three: Vibrant

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Vibrant  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Vibrant**

I found out quickly that planning weddings made Bella very, very grumpy.

"Why do you get to plan the honeymoon and I have to plan this part?" Bella complained when I walked in the door after one of my twelve-hour shifts. "The honeymoon is what I'm actually looking forward to."

"I told you I would help; you should have waited for me," I said, moving a pile of invitation samples to the coffee table to make room for me on the couch. "And don't you think the honeymoon will be that much more enjoyable for you if you _don't_ have to worry about any of the details?"

"Yeah, you're right," Bella sighed, resting her head on my shoulder. "Can we just get married at the courthouse and then go straight to the honeymoon?"

"I'd be fine with that," I agreed. As long as the whole world knew she'd chosen me, it didn't matter what the actual ceremony involved. We could have had a princess-themed wedding at Disneyland for all I cared.

"No," Bella grumbled. "Alice would never let me hear the end of it. And neither would my mom. Or yours, for that matter."

"Why don't you make Alice do the dirty work? She lives for this kind of stuff," I suggested, running my fingers through her hair. Her eyes closed wearily.

"If I let Alice plan it, it'll get completely out of control. I just want it to be small and simple."

I nodded my understanding – and agreement. "Why don't we order some take-out and hammer it out right now? Then we can start making arrangements tomorrow and just…get the planning part over with. Get on to the fun stuff."

"You had me at take-out."

* * *

Bella and I planned the best wedding ever, I was certain. Ten times better than my first wedding, and much more enjoyable for both of us than any wedding we'd ever been forced to attend. We found a nice little indoor venue, since our wedding took place in October, and kept the decorations to a modest level. Bella wasn't big on flowers, or ribbons, and I was totally fine with that.

The guest list was small – any more than thirty people, Bella declared, and we would be eloping. Fortunately, we both had small families, and only a handful of close friends. I waited at the altar, fidgeting like a madman, with Jasper by my side.

"Calm down, dude. You look like you're about to sneak out a window or something."

"I'm not nervous," I told him, fiddling with my tie. "Just impatient."

Jasper snickered. "You will always be the weirdest guy I know."

My dad was laughing at me from the front row. I ignored both him and Jasper.

The music started, then, and I waited a torturously long time for the flower girl, Emmett and Rosalie's second daughter, and Alice, the matron of honor, to clear the aisle. Then Bella was there on her father's arm, radiant in white and with eyes only for me.

I was the luckiest bastard in the world.

* * *

"How do you like married life so far?" I asked Bella during our third – fourth? – dance. Her hair was starting to come loose from the up-do Alice had constructed, and her face was flushed from happiness and champagne. I wanted to cart her off to a private place right then, but that would have meant not dancing anymore, and I really loved dancing with Bella. With my wife.

She laughed. "Oh, it's great. Cake was delicious, even with the chocolate sauce on the side. And getting to dance all night with the handsomest man in the room doesn't hurt."

"Mmmhmm. I'm onto you, Mrs. Cullen," I teased, delighted at the opportunity to say her new name. "You're just trying to butter me up so you can get some tonight."

"Am I really that transparent?" Bella sighed, feigning embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I'll let you get in my pants anyway."

"My, how generous of you," Bella snorted. "Are you going to tell me where the honeymoon is yet?"

"Nope," I replied, letting my lips pop on the P. "We're leaving right after the reception, and I let Alice into our place to pack your bag for you. It's waiting in the car right now."

"I think this qualifies as kidnapping, Edward," Bella complained.

"It's only kidnapping if you make a fuss," I retorted. "And you're not going to make a fuss, are you? Because it's going to be a fantastic honeymoon. I have this gorgeous place booked, and we're going to stay in bed all day long and have ridiculous, superhuman amounts of sex."

Bella snickered. "Is that the whole plan? No sightseeing or anything?"

I shook my head. "That part of the plan is need-to-know only right now. Can't give away the location too soon."

"You're insane," Bella announced, but she was smiling.

"And you're stuck with me now," I replied gleefully, twirling her around on the floor.

* * *

Our honeymoon was just as perfect as I thought it would be. I'd booked a small vacation home near France's northern coast, close enough to the beach, but also close enough to be able to visit Paris easily. Bella had been thoroughly irritated with me by the end of the 12-hour flight, but she'd changed her tune when I carried her across the threshold of the little _maison_. The brochure had called it a _chateau_, but it was most definitely not a castle.

Still, the place was very sweet and very French, with an absolutely enormous featherbed. The people I'd booked with had gone in ahead of time and stocked the kitchen and bathroom, ensuring that we had no need to leave the house for the first two days.

Eventually, we caught a train into Paris, and Bella was all too easily impressed with the meager French I'd picked up in college. It was the first time visiting France for both of us, which meant we had more than a few skirmishes over travel details – was there anything more stressful than travel? But Bella's enchantment with everything we encountered more than made up for any tense moments. Watching her battling the wind at the top of the Eiffel Tower, seeing her studying with awe the pieces at the Rodin Museum, chasing after her in the Tuileries while she stalked pigeons – I loved it all. I loved her.

When we reluctantly returned home after a blissful two weeks, I worried it would be difficult to readjust to daily life, especially with all the post-wedding duties awaiting us – sorting through the gifts, writing thank you notes – but it was very nearly effortless.

I was convinced there was nothing in life that Bella's presence couldn't make even better, and fortunately for me, I had the rest of my life to test that theory.


	24. Twenty Four: Languid

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Languid  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Languid**

_Ten years later_

Moping, I waited in bed, watching _Casablanca_ on the classic movies channel, for Edward to get home.

I'd been trying to convince myself all day long that Edward hadn't forgotten our ten-year anniversary. I'd done laundry – leaving Edward's clothes for him to fold, since he'd just end up redoing my folding anyway. I'd met my next deadline for the magazine I wrote for a week early. I'd even worked on the novel at which I was tentatively pecking away. In the evening, I heated up a frozen dinner. Edward wasn't due home until after eight, and I wasn't about to make dinner for him if he'd forgotten our anniversary.

Maybe I was being too hard on him. He'd never forgotten an anniversary before, and I didn't want to be the kind of woman that freaked out about that sort of thing. I knew Edward loved me more than I'd ever dreamed anyone could. Of course I knew. And I hoped he knew how ridiculously in love I was with him, even more after ten years than when I married him.

The day just hadn't gone very well, starting with waking up alone in the morning. I usually woke up when Edward got up, even though he crept around the bedroom like a cat to keep from disturbing me. My body had some kind of internal sensor or something. This morning, however, I'd opened my eyes well after the sun came up and well after Edward had to be at work. I _hated_ not seeing him in the morning. It made the whole day a little off-kilter somehow.

The fact that it was also our anniversary only added insult to injury. I kept waiting for something from him, a call or even a text message, simply acknowledging the day, but it never came. Then I started to suspect he would be surprising me with lunch, but he didn't do that, either. I considered surprising him, but in the end, I decided against it. Maybe he was just busy today – if that was the case, my presence wouldn't help anything.

Now, showered, pajama'd, and lying in bed, I suspected the day was beyond saving. I should just fall asleep now and forget this day ever happened.

I clicked off the TV with a sigh, just as Rick was sending Ilsa away. _Casablanca_ was too depressing when I was already in a bad mood.

In the now dark bedroom, I tried to go to sleep, but of course I couldn't. It was only eight-thirty. I rolled over, grumbling, and flipped on the light, set on reading until Edward got home, but at the sound of the front door opening, I froze.

"Bella? Where are you?" he called from the living room. I heard his footsteps pacing into the kitchen and then toward me.

"I'm in the bedroom," I called back. He strode through the door a moment later, all kinds of delicious in his pale green scrubs. Edward grew more handsome with every year that passed, and it was completely unfair. While I was feeling more like an old hag every day, the laugh lines around Edward's eyes only made him that much more charming. If I'd thought I'd have a reprieve from other women checking out my husband when we got older, I was dead wrong.

"Already in bed?" Edward asked, scoping out my holey T-shirt with a frown. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," I told him, sitting up. "How was work?"

"Same as always," he said, sitting down beside me. "Was your day as productive as you wanted it to be?"

"Yes." I fidgeted, wanting to broach the subject of our anniversary, but unsure how.

"You thought I forgot, didn't you?" Edward said knowingly, and only then did I realize he had a gift bag in his hand, which he placed in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought against my guilt and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I shouldn't have assumed…"

"Well, I didn't exactly say anything. Then again, neither did you."

"I'm a horrible wife," I sighed, looking forlornly at the silver bag in front of me spouting blue tissue paper.

"You're perfect," Edward disagreed, kissing my temple. "Now open your present, will you?"

I shook my head and reached for my nightstand drawer. "Yours first. At least I didn't mess up that part."

"You kept it in the nightstand? And here I was, scouring all the closets in the house," Edward griped, taking the small package from me. He opened it too slowly – he was the type that never wanted to tear the wrapping paper – and I shifted impatiently.

"What's this?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion as he pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal a leather-bound book.

"Open it," I told him, chewing on my bottom lip.

He flipped through the pages. "These are my compositions. Oh, Bella…you had them printed? This is just…"

"You like it?" I asked tentatively.

Edward snorted. "Like it? Are you insane? Next to my mother giving birth and you marrying me, this is the greatest thing anyone's ever done for me. See, I told you – you're a perfect wife."

He leaned in to kiss me, and I melted, just like always. "Now yours," he urged.

I plucked away the tissue paper and pulled out the first item I touched in the bag.

"Cookie dough? You got me cookie dough for our anniversary?"

"Yup," Edward said, smiling self-assuredly. "There's more, though."

I set the cookie dough aside and reached slowly into the bag. I felt around until I touched…leather? I pulled the object out and inspected it.

"Is this…a cat collar? It looks too small for a dog. That's, uh…kinky?" I looked helplessly to Edward for some kind of clue. Maybe I missed my husband having a psychotic break this morning.

"Oh, wait, I forgot a part of it. Hold on," he said, dashing out of the room. I waited, totally confused, until he came back with a fuzzy creature held between careful hands.

I gaped at him. "You got a cat?"

"I suppose I should have discussed it with you first, but I wanted to surprise you too badly. I just figured you could use a little more company, and I know both our mothers have been making hints about having kids for years. I thought a cat might be the next best thing."

I couldn't _not_ smile when the little black and white furball was looking at me with wide blue eyes. "Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked.

"A boy," he said, sitting down on the bed next to me. He handed the kitten over to me, a warm and purring mass in my hands. "He's only a few months old," Edward went on. "When he's older, we'll have to have him neutered, or he'll spray everywhere, but we don't have to worry about that yet."

"Is he potty trained?" I wondered. The last thing I wanted to do was clean up kitty excrement.

Edward nodded. "Has all his shots, too. He's all ready for cuddling."

"Cuddling, huh? Is that all you had planned for tonight? Cuddling with the new cat?"

"Well, maybe only until the cookie dough is gone," Edward replied. "Then Cat might have to go amuse himself for a while."

I snickered. "Are we going to call him 'Cat' like in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, or are we actually going to name him?"

Edward leaned forward and pulled two plastic spoons out of the bag that I'd somehow missed. "I figured you could name him." He reached over me for the cookie dough and tore it open with his teeth – a move that continued to impress me after so many years.

"Oh, nuh-uh," I shook my head, plucking my spoon from his hand. "You're just going to complain about whatever name I choose. You name him."

Edward tapped the spoon against his lips, thinking. "Let's call him Phineas Gage."

I smacked his arm. "We are _not_ naming the cat after a man who had an iron rod shoved through his head. "What about…Heathcliff?"

Edward groaned. "If I can't name the cat after a fascinating medical case, you can't name him after a literary figure. Especially not such a mean one. Do you want the cat to turn out evil?"

I sighed. "See, this is why we can't have kids. We can't even name a cat."

"That's all right," Edward chuckled, slinging an arm around my shoulders. He kissed the top of my head. "We're good at a lot of other things."

I closed my eyes, leaning into his warmth while the new kitten purred away in my lap. "Yeah, we're kind of perfect, aren't we?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, confession time. I did in this chapter something I really hate authors doing – I wrote about my ideal future, which is a fantastic husband and a cute cat. I admit it. I hope, however, that the lack of baby is a refreshing change rather than a disappointment.


	25. Twenty Five: Fragments

The Twilight Twenty-Five  
**Prompt:** Fragments  
**Pen name:** Amethyst Jackson  
**Pairing:** Edward/Bella  
**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Neither Twilight nor _When Harry Met Sally_ belongs to me. Please don't sue.

**A/N:** Thanks to Elizabethan for beta reading!

This chapter may need a little explanation for those who haven't seen _When Harry Met Sally_. Throughout the movie are interviews with older couples about how they met. I thought it would be perfect for the "Fragments" prompt to have some interviews with _Twilight_ couples.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Fragments**

_Couple Interviews: January 1, 2020_

_Rosalie and Emmett_

"We met in a bar."

"Ugh, you make it sound so sleazy. No, he was at the bar, hitting on every woman that walked past, and I was bartending. I finally got fed up and told him to stop being such a douche."

"I told her I'd prove I wasn't a douche if she let me take her out to dinner."

"I only said yes because he had cute dimples."

"I took her to Chuck E. Cheese."

"Weirdest date I've ever been on, by far."

"But she stuck around."

"He jumped right into the ball pen with a bunch of seven-year-olds. I thought he'd make a great father. And I was right."

"We've been happily married for ten years now."

"And counting."

* * *

_Carlisle and Esme_

"We were within miles of each other our whole lives, but we didn't meet until 1978."

"We were both born in Chicago, in the same hospital."

"Turns out, our families lived blocks from each other for years."

"My family moved to Washington when I was fifteen, hers a year later."

"We even went to rival high schools."

"I went to U-Dub for pre-med, and she went for a degree in the Humanities."

"We finally met at a Sex Pistols concert in California."

"I rescued her from a mosh pit."

"He helped patch up my broken nose. Didn't even leave a bump."

"She was my first patient."

"Isn't it amazing? Twenty years in constant proximity, and we never met."

* * *

_Garrett and Kate_

"When I met Kate, she was working on the 2008 Obama campaign."

"Still proud of it."

"Yeah, she dragged me into it, even though my parents raised me to be a good Republican."

"Oh, please. There was a closet liberal in you, just lurking beneath the surface, waiting to break free and flourish."

"I thought she was insane, but she was the most interesting woman I'd ever met, so I agreed to lick envelopes if she'd go out with me."

"I totally got the better end of the deal. I hate licking envelopes."

"By the time the campaign was over, I was ready to marry her."

"But I beat him to it. Got tired of waiting and popped the question myself."

"Of course, I said yes. Gotta love a woman who knows what she wants."

* * *

_Aro and Caius_

"We grew up in the same small Italian town."

"We bonded over our ridiculous names."

"I've never understood my name, but I rather like Caius. It has a nice ring to it."

"Hmmph."

"We moved to Rome as soon as we were old enough. Coming out in a tiny, ultra-Catholic town is never a good idea, in my book."

"Yes, it was nice to avoid the cursing and flying objects."

"Anyway, we've lived quite happily together for forty years now. All's well that ends well."

* * *

_Sam and Emily_

"I grew up in the city, but Sam lived on the reservation. We didn't meet until I visited my cousin one summer."

"Her cousin that I happened to be dating at the time. I feel terrible about it to this day, but I couldn't help pursuing Emily. The moment I saw her, I just…knew. She was the one I needed to be with."

"My family didn't like it – they didn't want me to end up on the reservation."

"They didn't care for it on the Rez, either. The slightest conflict can divide a small community like that."

"But we wouldn't give each other up. They had no choice but to accept us."

"And we were right."

* * *

_Irina and Laurent_

"I found him at a strip club."

"I was one of the strippers. She took a fancy to me. I wondered what such a beautiful woman was doing in a strip club. She could have any man she wanted."

"I liked to see men take their clothes off without all the fuss. And he was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen."

"She hung around until we closed and went home with me."

"I thought we'd have a one-night stand, but after the first time, I knew I'd have to have him again."

"She's been 'having' me for five years now."

"And I will for many years to come, I promise you."

* * *

_Ben and Angela_

"We went to high school together. I had the hugest crush on her."

"I always secretly liked him, too, but I was with someone else."

"I saw her again in the dorm dining hall. I hadn't even known she'd decided on U-Dub."

"When I saw him walking toward me, I thought he was coming to talk to my new roommate, Marie. Guys were always crossing rooms to talk to her."

"But of course, I was coming for you. I've always thought you were the prettiest thing I'd ever seen."

"I couldn't resist him anymore. I broke up with my boyfriend that night."

"The next day, we went on our first date."

"Best decision I ever made."

* * *

_Edward and Bella_

"In the beginning, we hated each other –"

"No, _you_ hated _me_. I had no problem with you. Liked you a lot, even."

"And then we became friends. Really good friends."

"We were friends for a long time –"

"– and then we weren't."

"And then we were lovers."

"It sounds simple, but… it's not."

"Okay, so maybe there was that time we slept together and I left a not-so-eloquent note, and you freaked out, and we didn't hash it out until a couple months later, but everything worked out in the end."

"I'm just glad he was so persistent."

"One of us has to be."

"_Anyway_, we got married nine months later."

"Ten years and nine months, actually."

"And the wedding wasn't the torture I thought it would be."

"I really did try to talk her into a Spanish Inquisition theme, but she wouldn't go for it."

"The honeymoon was great, too. Perfect. Except for that day a French guy selling adult magazines tried to feel me up, and I had to bail you out of French jail for assaulting him."

"Ugh, I'd repressed that memory. If the police hadn't arrived so quickly, I would have thrown him into the Seine."

"Sure you would have, sweetie."

"What? I would have."

"No, I believe you."

"Oh, this woman. So hard to impress."

"Well, we're sitting here today, aren't we? You must have done something right."

* * *

**A/N:** So this is it, the end of this story. This is the last chapter. I'm so happy to have accomplished this challenge in just two months, and even happier that so many people have so enthusiastically come along for the ride! I've loved every minute of it, mostly thanks to you, the readers. I'll be sad to end this story, and I know many have said they'll be sad to see it go, but now I can get back to Bonne Foi full time. I'm hoping to begin the EPoV of Only Human soon, too, so be on the lookout.

A quick explanation of the timeline, as I know there will be people wondering – the story begins with Bella and Edward driving to college in 2006, as it occurs in canon. They become friends nine years later, in 2015. They get married in 2017, and the previous chapter then takes place in 2027. I set the couple interviews in 2020 for a sort of in-between date.


End file.
